...  : 


LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OP 
CAi  FORNIA 
SAN  DIEGO 


PAULINE  FORE  MOFFITT 
LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 


A   FEW   FEATHERED    FRIENDS. 


BOUND- ABOUT  RAMBLES 


of 


FACT  AND  FANCY. 


FEAISTK    R.    STOCKTON. 


SCEIBNEE,    AKMSTKONG    &    CO., 

654  BROADWAY,  NEW  YORK. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1872, 

BY  SCRIBNER,  ARMSTRONG  &  CO., 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


POOLE     A    MACLAUCHLAN,     PRINTERS. 
«05  to  tin  Kast  12th  St. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

WINTER  IN  THE  WOODS 7 

TRICKS  OF  LIGHT 10 

SAVING  THE  TOLL 18 

THE  REAL  KING  OF  BEASTS 23 

THE  FRENCH  SOLDIER-BOY 32 

A  LIVELY  WAY  TO  RING  A  BELL 34 

DOWN  IN  THE  EARTH 36 

THE  LION 44 

BOB'S  HIDING-PLACE 49 

THE  CONTINENTAL  SOLDIER 59 

A  JUDGE  OF  Music 61 

THE  SENSITIVE  PLANT 64 

SIR  MARMADUKE 66 

THE 'GIRAFFE 69 

UP  IN  THE  AIR 73 

THE  ARABIAN  HORSE 87 

INDIAN-PUDDINGS  :   PUMPKIN-PIES 90 

LIVING  IN  SMOKE . 94 

THE  CANNON  OF  THE  PALAIS-ROYAL ; 97 

WATERS,  DEEP  AND  SHALLOW 99 

HANS  THE  HERB-GATHERER. 123 

SOME  CUNNING  INSECTS 128 

A  FIRST  SIGHT  OF  THE  SEA 134 

THE  LARGEST  CHURCH  IN  THE  WORLD 137 

THE  SOFT  PLACE 140 

A  FEW  FEATHERED  FRIENDS 146 

IN  A  WELL 159 

A  VEGETABLE  GAS  MANUFACTORY 163 

ABOUT  BEARS 166 

AN  OLD  COUNTRY-HOUSE 172 

FAR-AWAY  FORESTS 177 

BUILDING  SHIPS.  . .                            183 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

THE  ORANG-OUTANG 186 

LITTLE  BRIDGET'S  BATH 189 

SOME  NOVEL  FISHING 193 

EAGLES  AND  LITTLE  GIRLS 203 

CLIMBING  MOUNTAINS <. 204 

ANDREW'S  PLAN 207 

THE  WILD  Ass 212 

ANCIENT  RIDING 214 

BEAUTIFUL  BUGS 218 

A  BATTLE  ON  STILTS 220 

DRAWING  THE  LONG  Bow 223 

AN  ANCIENT  THEATRE 226 

BIRD  CHAT 229 

MUMMIES 236 

TAME  SNAKES 240 

GYMNASTICS 242 

BUYING  "THE  MIRROR" 250 

BIG  GAME 256 

THE  BOOTBLACK'S  DOG 268 

GOING  AFTER  THE  Cows 271 

THE  REFLECTIVE  STAG 274 

WHEN  WE  MUST  NOT  BELIEVE  OUR  EYES 277 

A  CITY  UNDER  THE  GROUND •  283 

THE  COACHMAN 297 

GEYSERS,  AND  HOW  THEY  WORK .' 300 

A  GIANT  PUFF-BALL ' 303 

TICKLED  BY  A  STRAW 305 

THE  LIGHT  IN  THE  CASTLE 307 

THE  OAK  TREE 311 

THE  SEASIDE '. 315 

THE  SICK  PIKE 319 

Two  KINDS  OF  BLOSSOMS 322 

ABOUT  GLASS 335 

CARL 343 

SCHOOL'S  OUT 350 

NEST-BUILDERS 354 

THE  BOOMERANG 368 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS, 


A  Few  Feathered  Friends Frontispiece. 

The    Woodcutter 7 

The  Minstrel  on  the  Wall 10 

Tricks  in  a  Church 1 1 

The  Dance  of  Demons 13 

Nostradamus 14 

The  Lion' s  Head 15 

The  Theatrical  Ghost 16 

The  Toll-bridge 18 

A  Royal  Procession 22 

An  Elephant  after  Him 25 

The  Dog's  Protector 27 

An  Elephant  Nurse 29 

Saving  the  Artillery -man 30 

The  Gallant  Elephant 31 

The  French  Soldier-Boy. 32 

On  a  Bell 34 

Fishes   found  in  the  Mammoth  Cave 36 

The  Bottomless  Pit 40 

The  Lion's  Home 43 

The  Uncaged  Lion 45 

A  Lion's  Dinner 46 

A  Terrible  Companion 47 

Off  to  the  Kitchen 49 

Blind  Man's  Buff 50 

The  Story-Teller 52 

In  the  Cellar 54 

Handing  round  the  Apples 56 

The  Drummer  of  1776 59 

The  Continental  Soldier 60 

The  Donkey  in  the  Parlor 61 

Sir  Marmaduke 66 

The  Giraffe 69 

Above  the  Clouds 72 

The  Flying  Man 73 

The   Parachute— shut 75 

The  Parachute — open 76 

Le   Flesseles 78 

Bagnolet's   Balloon 79 

Coming  down  Roughly 80 

A  Balloon  with  Sails  and  Rudders 82 

The  Minerva 83 

Safe  Ballooning 84 

Driven  out  to  Sea 86 

The  War-Horse...  88 


In  the  Cornfield 

A  Big  Mosquito 

Exactly  Noon 

The  Spring. 

The  Brook 

The  Mill 

The  Cascade 

The  Great  River 

Falls  of  Gavarni , 

The  Falls  of  Zambesi 

Niagara 

Fishing  with  a  Net 

Fishing  with  a  Spear 

Sponge-Fishing 

A  Pearl  Oyster , 

Divers 

Rough  Water 

The  Iceberg 

The  Storm 

The  Shipwreck 

Water-Spouts 

A  Bit  of  Cable 

Hans,  the  Herb-Gatherer. 

Patsey 

A  Spider  at  Home 

The  Ant's  Arch 

The  Cock-chafer's  Wing. . 

The  Spider's  Bridge 

The  Moth  and  the  Bees. . 

Learned  Fleas 

The  Pacific 

St.   Peter's  at  Rome 

Interior  of  St.   Peter's. . . . 
The  Five  Young  Deer 

Waking  Up 

Familiar  Friends 

The  Pigeon 

The  Dove 

The  Swan 

The  Goose  that  Led 

The  Goose  that  Followed. 

The  Sensible  Duck 

The  Goldfinch 

The  Magpie 

The  Owl.. 


90 

94 

97 

99 

101 

1 02 

104 

105 

1 06 

roS 

109 

in 

112 

"3 

114 

"5 
117 
118 
119 
1 20 

121 
122 
123 
126 
128 
129 
130 
130 

131 

132 

136 
137 
138 
141 
142 

»47 
148 
149 
I50 
152 
152 
153 
154 
I5S 
'56 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Morning  Singers 158 

In  a  Well 1 59 

The  Fraxinella 163 

A  Company  of  Bears 165 

The  Black  Bear 167 

The  Grizzly  Bear 168 

The  White  Bear i?° 

The  Tame  Bear I71 

An  old  Country-House I72 

Ancient  Builders 1 74 

The  Pine  Forest 176 

Tree  Ferns 178 

Tropical  Forest 179 

The  Giant  Trees 181 

The  Great  Eastern 182 

The  Orang-Outang 186 

Bridget  and  the  Fairies 189 

Fiat-Fish 193 

Turbots 194 

The  Sea-Horse 195 

The  Cuttle-Fish 196 

The  Polypier 198 

Tunnies 199 

The  Sword-Fish 200 

The  Shark 201 

The  Child  and  the  Eagle 202 

Climbing  the  Mountain 204 

Andrew  and  Jenny 207 

Wild  Asses 211 

The  Palanquin 214 

The  Chariot 216 

Transformation  of  Beetles 217 

A  Battle  on  Stilts 220 

Drawing  the  Long  Bow 223 

The  Colosseum 226 

The  Cormorants 228 

The  Bittern 230 

The  Pelican 231 

The  Hoopoe 233 

The  Falcon 234 

The  Mummy 236 

The  Stand 237 

The  Coffin 237 

The  Outside  Coffin 238 

The  Sarcophagus 239 

The  Tame  Snake 240 

The  Novel  Team 241 

Youngsters   Fighting 242 

Throwing  the  Hammer 244 

Throwing  the  Stone 245 

Thomas  Topham 246 

Venetian  Acrobats. 247 

The.  Tight-Rope 248 

The  See-Saw 250 

The  Wild  Boar 255 


The  Musk-Ox  and  the  Sailor 258 

Hunting  the  Brown  Bear 259 

A  Brave  Hippopotamus 261 

A  Rhinocerus  Turning  the  Table 262 

A    Tiger-Hunt 264 

A  Fight  with  a  Gorilla 266 

The  Boot-black's  Dog 268 

Going  after  the  Cows 271 

The  Reflective  Stag 275 

The  Mirage 278 

Fata  Morgana 280 

The  Spectre  of  the  Brocken 281 

A  Narrow  Street  in  Pompeii 283 

A  Cleared  Street  in  Pompeii 285 

The  Atrium  in  the  House  of  Pansa 287 

Ornaments  from  Pompeii 290 

A  Pompeiian  Bakery 292 

The  Amphitheatre  of  Pompeii 294 

The  Coachman • 297 

The  Grand  Geyser 300 

The  Artificial  Geyser 302 

A  Giant  Puff-ball 303 

Tickled  by  a  Straw 305 

The  Will-o' -the- Wisp 309 

The  Oak  Tree 311 

The  Sea-Side 315 

The  Vessels  on  Shore 317 

The  Sick  Pike 320 

The  Blossoms 322 

Ice-Blossoms 324 

Ice-Flowers 325 

Ancient  Bead 327 

Venetian  Bottle. 328 

German   Drinking-Glass 330 

Glass  Jug 331 

Making  Bottles 332 

Venetian  Goblet 333 

Modern  Goblets 334 

The  Queen's  Mirror 336 

Bohemian  Goblet 338 

French  Flagon 339 

The  Portland  Vase 340 

The  Strange  Lady 344 

Carl  and  the  Duke 348 

The  Dominie 350 

Wrens'  Nests 355 

Orioles'  Nest 356 

Owl's  Nests 358 

Flamingoes'  Nests 359 

The  little  Grebe's  Nest 361 

The  Ostrich-Nest 362 

The  Stork's  Nest 364 

A  Fish's  Nest 366 

Throwing  the  Boomerang 368 

The  Way  the  Boomerang  Goes 369 


PREFACE 


OME  along,  boys  and  girls !     We  are  off  on  our  rambles. 
But  please  do  not  ask  me  where  we  are  going.     It  would 
delay  us  very  much  if  I  should  postpone  our  start  until 
I  had  drawn  you  a  map  of  the  route,  with  all  the  stopping- 
places  set  down. 

We  have  far  to  go,  and  a  great  many  things  to  see,  and  it  may  be 
that  some  of  you  will  be  very  tired  before  we  get  through. 

If  so,  I  shall  be  sorry ;  but  it  will  be  a  comfort  to  think  that  none 
of  us  need  go  any  farther  than  we  choose. 

There  will  be  considerable  variety  in  our  rambles.  We  shall 
walk  about  familiar  places,  and  we  shall  explore  streets  and  houses 
that  have  been  buried  for  centuries.  We  shall  go  down  deep  into 
the  earth,  and  we  shall  float  in  a  balloon,  high  up  into  the  air.  We 
shall  see  many  beasts  of  the  forest ;  some  that  are  bloody  and  cruel, 
and  others  that  are  gentle  and  wise.  We  will  meet  with  birds, 
fishes,  grand  old  buildings,  fleas,  vast  woods,  bugs,  mummies, 
snakes,  tight-rope  dancers,  gorillas,  will-o'-the-wisps,  beautiful 


6  PREFACE. 

blossoms,  boomerangs,  oceans,  birds'  nests,  and  I  cannot  tell  you 
what  all  besides.  We  will  also  have  some  adventures,  hear  some 
stories,  and  have  a  peep  at  a  fairy  or  two  before  we  are  done. 

I  shall  not,  however,  be  able  to  go  with  you  everywhere.  When 
you  are  enjoying  a  "Bird  Chat;"  "Buying  the  Mirror;"  learning 
when  "We  must  not  Believe  our  Eyes;"  visiting  "A  City  under 
the  Ground ; "  hearing  of  "  The  Coachman's  "  troubles ;  sitting  under 
"The  Oak-tree;"  finding  out  wonderful  things  "About  Glass;" 
watching  what  happens  when  "School's  Out;"  or  following  the 
fortunes  of  "Carl,"  your  guide  will  be  a  lady,  and  I  think  that  you 
will  all  agree  that  she  knows  very  well  where  she  ought  to  go,  and 
how  to  get  there.  The  rest  of  the  time  you  will  be  with  me. 

And  now,  having  talked  enough,  suppose  we  start. 


WINTER  IN  THE  WOODS. 

WHAT  can  be  more  delightful,  to  a  boy  of  spirit,  than  a  day  in 
the  woods  when  there  has  been  a  good  snow!  If  he  also  hap 
pens  to  have  a  good  friend  or  two,  and  some  good  dogs  (who  are  just 
as  likely  to  be  friends  as  his  boy-companions),  he  ought  to  be  much 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


happier  than  an  ordinary  king.  A  forest  is  a  fine  place  at  any  time, 
but  when  the  ground  is  well  covered  with  snow — especially  if  there 
is  a  hard  crust  upon  it — the  woods  seem  to  possess  a  peculiar  charm. 
You  can  go  anywhere  then. 

In  the  summer,  the  thick  undergrowth,  the  intertwining  vines,  and 
the  heavy  lower  branches  of  the  trees,  make  it  difficult  even  to  see 
into  the  dark  recesses  of  the  forest.  But  in  the  winter  all  is  open. 
The  low  wet  places,  the  deep  holes,  the  rotten  bogs,  everything  on 
the  ground  that  is  in  the  way  of  a  good  run  and  a  jump,  is  covered 
up.  You  do  not  walk  a  hundred  yards  under  the  bare  branches  of 
the  trees  before  up  starts  a  rabbit,  or  a  hare,  if  you  would  rather  call 
him  by  his  right  name, — and  away  go  the  dogs,  and  away  you  go- 
all  of  you  tearing  along  at  the  top  of  your  speed  ! 

But  poor  Bunny  has  a  small  chance,  when  a  hard  snow  is  on 
the  ground.  His  hiding-places  are  all  covered  up,  and  before  he 
knows  it  the  dogs  have  caught  him,  and  your  mother  will  have 
stewed  rabbit  for  supper.  It  seems  a  hard  fate  for  ,the  poor  little  fel 
low,  but  he  was  born  partly  for  that  purpose. 

When  you  have  caught  your  rabbit,  and  come  back  to  where  the 
men  are  cutting  wood,  you  will  be  just  as  proud  to  tell  the  boy  who 
is  cutting  up  the  branches  all  about  your  splendid  hunt,  as  if  you  had 
chased  and  killed  a  stag. 

"There's  where  we  started  him!"  you  will  cry,  "and  away  he 
scudded,  over  there  among  the  chestnuts,  and  Rover  right  at  his  heels, 
and  when  we  got  down  there  to  the  creek,  Rover  turned  heels-over 
head  on  the  ice,  he  was  going  so  fast ;  but  I  gave  one  slide  right  across, 
and  just  up  there,  by  the  big  walnut,  the  other  two  dogs  got  him  !  " 

That  boy  is  almost  as  much  excited  as  you  are,  and  he  would  drop 
his  axe  in  one  minute,  and  be  off  with  you  on  another  chase,  if  his 
father  were  not  there. 


WINTER  IN  THE   WOODS. 


And  now  you  find  that  you  have  reached  the  wood-cutters  exactly 
in  time,  for  that  great  tree  is  just  about  to  come  down. 

There  go  the  top-branches,  moving  slowly  along  through  the  tops 
of  the  other  trees,  and  now  they  move  faster,  and  everything  begins  to 
crack ;  and,  with  a  rush  and  a  clatter  of  breaking  limbs,  the  great 
oak  comes  crashing  down ;  jarring  the  very  earth  beneath  your  feet, 
and  making  the  snow  fly  about  like  a  sparkling  cloud,  while  away  run 
the  dogs,  with  their  tails  between  their  legs. 

The  tree  is  down  now,  and  you  will  want  to  be  home  in  time  for 
dinner.  Farmer  Brown's  sled  has  just  passed,  and  if  you  will  cut 
across  the  woods  you  can  catch  up  with  him,  and  have  a  ride  home, 
and  tell  him  all  about  the  rabbit-hunt,  on  the  way. 

If  it  is  Saturday,  and  a  holiday,  you  will  be  out  again  this  afternoon, 
with  some  of  the  other  boys,  perhaps,  and  have  a  grand  hunt. 

Suppose  it  is  snowing,  what  will  you  care  ?  You  will  not  mind  the 
snow  any  more  than  if  it  were  a  shower  of  blossoms  from  the  apple- 
trees  in  May. 


to 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


TRICKS  OF  LIGHT. 

THERE  is  nothing  more  straightforward  in  its  ways  than  light — 
when  we  let  it  alone.  But,  like  many  of  us,  when  it  is  introduced  to 
the  inventions  and  contrivances  of  the  civilized  world,  it  often  becomes 
exceedingly  fond  of  vagaries  and  extravagances. 

Of  all  the  companions  of  light  which  endeavor  to  induce  it  to  for 
sake  its  former  simple  habits,  there  is  not  one  which  has  the  influence 
possessed  by  glass.  When  light  and  glass  get  together  it  is  diffi 
cult  to  divine  what  tricks  they  are  going  to  perform.  But  some  of 
these  are  very  interesting,  if  they  are  a  little  wild,  and  there  are  very 
few  of  us  who  do  not  enjoy  them. 

For  instance,  what  a  delight  to  any  company,  be  it  composed  of 


TRICKS  OF  LIGHT. 


u 


young  folks  or  old,  is  a  magic-lantern  !  The  most  beautiful  and  the 
most  absurd  pictures  may  be  made  to  appear  upon  the  wall  or  screen. 
But  there  is  an  instrument,  called  the  phantasmagoria,  which  is  really 
nothing  but  an  improved  magic-lantern,  which  is  capable  of  produ 
cing  much  more  striking  effects.  It  is  a  much  larger  instrument  than 
the  other,  and  when  it  is  exhibited  a  screen  is  placed  between  it  and 
the  spectators,  so  that  they  do  not  see  how  the  pictures  are  produced. 
It  is  mounted  on  castors,  so  that  at  times  it  can  be  brought  nearer  and 
nearer  to  the  screen,  until  the  picture  seems  to  enlarge  and  grow  in  a 
wonderful  manner.  Then,  when  it  is  drawn  back,  the  image  dimin 


ishes  and  recedes  far  into  the  distance.  The  lenses  and  other  mech 
anism  of  the  phantasmagoria  can  also  be  moved  in  various  directions, 
making  the  action  of  the  pictures  still  more  wonderful.  Sometimes, 


i2  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

when  the  instrument  is  exhibited  in  public,  the  screen  is  not  used,  but 
the  pictures  are  thrown  upon  a  cloud  of  smoke,  which  is  itself  almost 
invisible  in  the  dim  light  of  the  room.  In  such  a  case  the  figures 
seem  as  if  they  were  floating  in  the  air. 

A  man,  named  Robertson,  once  gave  exhibitions  in  Paris,  in  an  old 
chapel,  and  at  the  close  of  his  performances  he  generally  caused  a  great 
skeleton  figure  of  Death  to  appear  among  the  pillars  and  arches.  Many 
of  the  audience  were  often  nearly  scared  to  death  by  this  apparition. 
The  more  ignorant  people  of  Paris  who  attended  these  exhi 
bitions,  could  not  be  persuaded,  when  they  saw  men,  women,  and 
animals  walking  about  in  the  air  between  the  arches  of  the  chapel, 
that  Robertson  was  not  a  magician,  although  he  explained  to  them 
that  the  images  were  nothing  but  the  effect  of  a  lantern  and  some 
glass  lenses.  When  these  people  could  see  that  the  figures  were  pro 
duced  on  a  volume  of  smoke,  they  were  still  more  astonished  and 
awed,  for  they  thought  that  the  spirits  arose  from  the  fire  which 
caused  the  smoke. 

But  Robertson  had  still  other  means  of  exhibiting  the  tricks  of 
light.  Opposite  is  a  picture  of  the  "  Dance  of  Demons." 

This  delusion  is  very  simple  indeed,  and  is  produced  by  placing  a 
card-figure  on  a  screen,  and  throwing  shadows  from  this  upon  an 
other  screen,  by  means  of  several  lights,  held  by  assistants.  Thus 
each  light  throws  its  own  shadow,  and  if  the  candles  are  moved  up 
and  down,  and  about,  the  shadows  will  dance,  jump  over  each  other, 
and  do  all  sorts  of  wonderful  things.  Robertson,  and  other  public 
exhibitors,  had  quite  complicated  arrangements  of  this  kind,  but  they 
all  acted  on  the  same  principle.  But  all  of  those  who  exhibit  to  the 
public  the  freaks  of  light  are  not  as  honest  as  Mr.  Robertson.  You 
may  have  heard  of  Nostradamus,  who  also  lived  in  Paris,  but  long 
before  Robertson,  and  who  pretended  to  be  a  magician.  Among 


TRICKS  OF  LIGHT. 


other  things,  he 'asserted  that  he  could  show  people  pictures  of  their 
future  husbands  or  wives.  Marie  de  Medicis,  a  celebrated  princess 
of  the  time,  came  to  him  on  this  sensible  errand,  and  he,  being-  very 


anxious  to  please  her,  showed  her,  in  a  looking-glass,  the  reflected 
image  of  Henry  of  Navarre,  sitting  upon  the  throne  of  France.  This, 
of  course,  astonished  the  princess  very  much,  but  it  need  not  astonish 
us,  if  we  carefully  examine  the  picture  of  that  conjuring  scene. 

The  mirror  into  which  the  lady  was  to  look,  was  in  a  room  ad 
joining  that  in  which  Henry  was  sitting  on  the  throne.  It  was  placed 
at  such  an  angle  that  her  face  would  not  be  reflected  in  it,  but  an 
aperture  in  the  wall  allowed  the  figure  of  Henry  to  be  reflected  from 
a  looking-glass,  hung  near  the  ceiling,  down  upon  the  "  magic  "  mir- 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


ror.     So,  .of  course,  she  saw  his  picture  there,  and  believed  entirely 
in  the  old  humbug,  Nostradamus. 

But  there  are  much  simpler  methods  by  which  the  vagaries  of  light 
may  be  made  amusing,  and  among  the  best  of  these  are  what  are 


called  "  Chinese  shadows."  These  require  a  little  ingenuity,  but  they 
are  certainly  simple  enough.  They  consist  of  nothing  but  a  card  or 
paper,  upon  which  the  lights  of  the  picture  intended  to  be  represent 
ed  are  cut  out.  When  this  is  held  between  a  candle  and  a  wall,  a 
startling  shadow-image  may  be  produced,  which  one  would  not  imagine 
to  have  any  connection  with  the  card,  unless  he  had  studied  the 
manner  in  which  said  card  was  cut.  Here  is  a  picture  of  a  company 
amusing  themselves  with  these  cards.  No  one  would  suopose  that 


TRICKS  OF  LIGHT. 


the  card  which  the  young  man  is  holding  in  his  hand  bore  the  least 
resemblance  to  a  lion's  head,  but  there  is  no  mistaking  the  shadow  on 
the  wall. 


The  most  wonderful  public  exhibitions  of  optical  illusions  have 
been  those  in  which  a  real  ghost  or  spectre  apparently  moves  across 
the  stage  of  a  theatre.  This  has  frequently  been  done  in  late  years, 
both  in  this  country  and  Europe.  The  audiences  were  perfectly 
amazed  to  see  a  spirit  suddenly  appear,  walk  about  the  stage,  and  act 
like  a  regular  ghost,  who  did  not  seem  to  be  in  the  least  disturbed  when 
an  actor  fired  a  pistol  at  him,  or  ran  him  through  with  a  sword.  The 
method  of  producing  this  illusion  is  well  shown  in  the  accompanying 
picture.  A  large  plate  of  glass  is  placed  in  front  of  the  stage  so  that 


i6 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


the  audience  does  not  perceive  it.  The  edges  of  it  must  be  con 
cealed  by  curtains,  which  are  not  shown  in  the  picture.  An  actor, 
dressed  as  a  ghost,  walks  in  front  of  the  stage  below  its  level,  where 
he  is  not  seen  by  the  audience,  and  a  strong  electric  light  being 
thrown  upon  him,  his  reflected  image  appears  to  the  spectator  as  if  it 
were  walking  about  on  the  stage.  When  the  light  is  put  out  of 
course  the  spirit  instantly  vanishes. 


A  very  amusing  account  is  given  of  a  man  who  was  hired  to  do 
some  work  about  a  theatre.  He  had  finished  his  work  for  the  pres 
ent,  and  wishing  to  eat  his  supper,  which  he  had  brought  with  him, 
he  chose  a  nice  quiet  place  under  the  stage,  where  he  thought  he 
would  not  be  disturbed.  Not  knowing  that  everything  was  prepared 


TRICKS  OF  LIGHT.  17 


for  the  appearance  of  a  ghost,  he  sat  down  in  front  of  the  electric 
lamp,  and  as  soon  as  it  was  lighted  the  audience  was  amazed  to  see, 
sitting  very  comfortably  in  the  air  above  the  stage,  a  man  in  his  shirt 
sleeves,  eating  bread  and  cheese  !  Little  did  he  think,  when  he  heard 
the  audience  roaring  with  laughter,  that  they  were  laughing  at  his 
ghost ! 

Light  plays  so  many  tricks  with  our  eyes  and  senses  that  it  is 
possible  to  narrate  but  a  few  of  them  here.  But  those  that  I  have 
mentioned  are  enough  to  show  us  what  a  wild  fellow  he  is,  especially 
where  he  and  glass  get  frolicking  together. 


i8 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


SAVING  THE  TOLL. 

WHEN  I  was  a  youngster  and  lived  in  the  country,  there  were  three 
of  us  boys  who  used  to  go  very  frequently  to  a  small  village  about  a 
mile  from  our  homes.  To. reach  this  village  it  was  necessary  to  cross 
a  narrow  river,  and  there  was  a  toll-bridge  for  that  purpose.  The 
toll  for  every  foot-passenger  who  went  over  this  bridge  was  one  cent. 
Now,  this  does  not  seem  like  a  very  high  charge,  but,  at  that  time, 
we  very  often  thought  that  we  would  much  rather  keep  our  pennies 
to  spend  in  the  village  than  to  pay  them  to  -the  old  man  who  took 
toll  on  the  bridge.  But  it  was  often  necessary  for  us  to 'cross  the 
river,  and  to  do  so,  and  save  our  money  at  the  same  time,  we  used  to 
adopt  a  very  hazardous  expedient. 

At  a  short  distance  below  the  toll-bridge  there  was  a  railroad- 
bridge,  which  you  cannot  see  in  the  picture.  This  bridge  was  not 
intended  for  anything  but  railroad  trains ;  it  was  very  high  above  the 


SAVING  THE  TOLL.  19 


water,  it  was  very  long,  and  it  was  not  floored.  When  any  one 
stood  on  the  cross-ties  which  supported  the  rails,  he  could  look  right 
down  into  the  water  far  below  him.  For  the  convenience  of  the  rail 
road-men  and  others  who  sometimes  were  obliged  to  go  on  the 
bridge,  there  was  a  single  line  of  boards  placed  over  the  ties  at  one 
side  of  the  track,  and  there  was  a  slight  hand-rail  put  up  at  that  side 
of  the  bridge. 

To  save  our  pennies  we  used  to  cross  this  bridge,  and  every  time 
we  did  so  we  risked  our  lives. 

We  were  careful,  however,  not  to  go  on  the  bridge  at  times  when  a 
train  might  be  expected  to  cross  it,  for  when  the  cars  passed  us,  we 
had  much  rather  be  on  solid  ground.  But  one  day,  when  we  had 
forgotten  the  hour ;  or  a  train  was  behind,  or  ahead  of  time ;  or  an 
extra  train  was  on  the  road — we  were  crossing  this  railroad  bridge, 
and  had  just  about  reached  the  middle  of  it,  when  we  heard  the 
whistle  of  a  locomotive  !  Looking  up  quickly,  we  saw  a  train,  not  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  away,  which  was  coming  towards  us  at  full  speed. 
We  stood  paralyzed  for  a  moment.  We  did  not  know  what  to  do. 
In  a  minute,  or  less,  the  train  would  be  on  the  bridge  and  we  had  not, 
or  thought  we  had  not,  time  to  get  off  of  it,  whether  we  went  forward 
or  backward. 

But  we  could  not  stand  on  that  narrow  path  of  boards  while  the 
train  was  passing.  The  cars  would  almost  touch  us.  What  could  we 
do  ?  I  believe  that  if  we  had  had  time,  we  would  have  climbed  down 
on  the  trestle-work  below  the  bridge,  and  so  let  the  train  pass  over 
us.  But  whatever  could  be  done  must  be  done  instantly,  and  we 
could  think  of  nothing  better  than  to  get  outside  of  the  railing  and 
hold  on  as  well  as  we  could.  In  this  position  we  would,  at  any  rate, 
be  far  enough  from  the  cars  to  prevent  them  from  touching  us.  So 
out  we  got,  and  stood  on  the  ends  of  the  timbers,  holding  fast  to  the 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


slender  hand-rail.  And  on  came  the  train !  When  the  locomotive 
first  touched  the  bridge  we  could  feel  the  shock,  and  as  it  came  rattling 
and  grinding  over  the  rails  towards  us — coming  right  on  to  us,  as  it 
seemed — our  faces  turned  pale,  you  may  well  believe. 

But  the  locomotive  did  not  run  off  the  track  just  at  that  exact  spot 
where  we  were  standing — a  catastrophe  which,  I  believe,  in  the  bot 
tom  of  our  hearts,  every  one  of  us  feared.  It  passed  on,  and  the  train 
came  thundering  after  it.  How  dreadfully  close  those  cars  did  come 
to  us  !  How  that  bridge  did  shake  and  tremble  in  every  timber  ;  and 
how  we  trembled  for  fear  we  should  be  shaken  off  into  the  river  so 
far  below  us  !  And  what  an  enormously  long  train  it  was  !  I  suppose 
that  it  took,  really,  but  a  very  short  time  to  pass,  but  it  seemed  to  us 
as  if  there  was  no  end  to  it  at  all,  and  as  if  it  would  never,  never  get 
entirely  over  that  bridge  ! 

But  it  did  cross  at  last,  and  went  rumbling  away  into  the  distance. 

Then  we  three,  almost  too  much  frightened  to  speak  to  each  other, 
crept  under  the  rail  and  hurried  over  the  bridge. 

All  that  anxiety,  that  fright,  that  actual  misery  of  mind,  and  positive 
danger,  of  body,  to  save  one  cent  apiece  ! 

But  we  never  saved  any  more  money  in  that  way.  When  we 
crossed  the  river  after  that,  we  went  over  the  toll-bridge,  and  we 
paid  our  pennies,  like  other  sensible  people. 

Had  it  been  positively  necessary  for  us  to  have  crossed  that  river, 
and  had  there  been  no  other  way  for  us  to  do  it  but  to  go  over  the 
railroad  bridge,  I  think  we  might  have  been  called  brave  boys,  for 
the  bridge  was  very  high  above  the  water>  and  a  timid  person  would 
have  been  very  likely  to  have  been  frightened  when  he  looked  down 
at  his  feet,  and  saw  how  easy  it  would  be  for  him  to  make  a  misstep 
and  go  tumbling  down  between  the  timbers. 

But,  as  there  was  no  necessity  or  sufficient  reason  for  our  risking 


SAVING  THE  TOLL.  21 


our  lives  in  that  manner,  we  were  nothing  more  or  less  than  three 
little  fools ! 

It  would  be  well  if  all  boys  or  girls,  to  whom  a  hazardous  feat 
presents  itself,  would  ask  themselves  the  question :  "  Would  it  be  a 
brave  thing  for  me  to  do  that,  or  would  I  be  merely  proving  myself  a 
simpleton  ?  " 


THE   REAL  KING   OF   BEASTS. 


THE  REAL  KING  OF  BEASTS.  23 


THE  REAL  KING  OF  BEASTS. 

FOR  many  centuries  there  has  been  a  usurper  on  the  throne  of  the 
Beasts.  That  creature  is  the  Lion. 

But  those  who  take  an  interest  in  the  animal  kingdom  (and  I  am 
very  sorry  for  those  who  do  not)  should  force  the  Lion  to  take  off 
the  crown,  put  down  the  sceptre,  and  surrender  the  throne  to  the 
real  King  of  Beasts — the  Elephant. 

There  is  every  reason  why  this  high  honor  should  be  accorded  to 
the  Elephant.  In  the  first  place,  he  is  physically  superior  to  the  Lion. 
An  Elephant  ^attacked  by  a  Lion  could  dash  his  antagonist  to  the 
ground  with  his  trunk,  run  him  through  with  his  tusks,  and  trample 
him  to  death  under  his  feet.  The  claws  and  teeth  of  the  Lion  would 
make  no  impression  of  any  consequence  on  the  Elephant's  thick  skin 
and  massive  muscles.  If  the  Elephant  was  to  decide  his  claim  to  the 
throne  by  dint  of  fighting  for  it,  the  Lion  would  find  himself  an  ex- 
king  in  a  very  short  time.  But  the  Elephant  is  too  peaceful  to  assert 
his  right  in  this  way — and,  what  is  more,  he  does  not  suppose  that 
any  one  could  even  imagine  a  Lion  to  be  his  superior.  He  never  had 
such  an  idea  himself. 

But  besides  his  strength  of  body,  the  Elephant  is  superior  in  intel 
ligence  to  all  animals,  except  the  dog  and  man.  He  is  said  by  natu 
ralists  to  have  a  very  fine  brain,  considering  that  he  is  only  a  beast. 
His  instinct  seems  to  rise  on  some  occasions  almost  to  the  level  of 
our  practical  reasoning,  and  the  stories  which  are  told  of  his  smart 
ness  are  very  many  indeed. 

But  no  one  can  assert  that  the  Lion  has  any  particular  intelligence. 
To  be  sure,  there  have  been  stories  told  of  his  generosity,  but  they 
are  not  many,  and  they  are  all  very  old.  The  Elephant  proves  his 


24  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES, 

pre-eminence  as  a  thinking  beast  every  day.  We  see  him  very  fre 
quently  in  menageries,  and  we  can  judge  of  what  he  is  capable.  We 
see  the  Lion  also,  and  we  very  soon  find  out  what  he  can  do.  He 
can  lie  still  and  look  grave  and  majestic ;  he  can  jump  about  in  his 
cage,  if  he  has  been  trained  ;  and  he  can  eat !  He  is  certainly  great 
in  that  respect. 

We  all  know  a  great  deal  about  the  Elephant,  how  he  is  caught 
and  tamed,  and  made  the  servant  and  sometimes  the  friend  of  man. 
This,  however,  seldom  happens  but  in  India.  In  Africa  they  do  not 
often  tame  Elephants,  as  they  hunt  them  generally  for  the  sake  of 
their  ivory,  and  the  poor  beasts  are  killed  by  hundreds  and  hundreds 
so  that  we  may  have  billiard-balls,  knife-handles,  and  fine-tooth 
combs. 

But  whether  the  Elephant  is  wanted  as  a  beast  of  burden,  or  it  is 
only  his  great  tusks  that  are  desired,  it  is  no  joke  to  hunt  him.  He 
will  not  attack  a  man  without  provocation  (except  in  very  rar^e  cases)  ; 
when  he  does  get  in  a  passion  it  is  time  for  the  hunter  to  look  out 
for  his  precious  skin.  If  the  man  is  armed  with  a  gun,  he  must  take 
the  best  of  aim,  and  his  bullets  must  be  like  young  cannon-balls,  for 
the  Elephant's  head  is  hard  and  his  skin  is  tough.  If  the  hunter  is 
on  a  horse,  he  need  not  suppose  that  he  can  escape  by  merely  putting 
his  steed  to  its  best  speed.  The  Elephant  is  big  and  awkward- 
looking,  but  he  gets  over  the  ground  in  a  very  rapid  manner. 

Here  is  an  illustration  of  an  incident  in  which  a  boy  found  out,  in 
great  sorrow  and  trepidation,  how  fast  an  Elephant  can  run. 

This  boy  was  one  of  the  attendants  of  the  Duke  of  Edinburgh, 
one  of  Queen  Victoria's  sons,  who  was  hunting  Elephants  in  Africa. 
The  Elephants  which  the  party  were  after  on  that  particular  day 
had  got  out  of  the  sight  of  the  hunters,  and  this  boy,  being 
mounted  on  a  horse,  went  to  look  them  up.  It  was  not  long  before 


THE  REAL  KING  OF  BEASTS. 


he  found  them,  and  he  also  found  much  more  than  he  had  bargained 
for.  He  found  that  one  of  the  big  fellows  was  very  much  inclined  to 
hunt  him,  and  he  came  riding  out  of  the  forest  as  hard  as  he  could 
go,  with  a  great  Elephant  full  tilt  after  him.  Fortunately  for  the  boy, 


the  Duke  was  ready  with  his  gun,  and  when  the  Elephant  came 
dashing  up  he  put  two  balls  into  his  head.  The  great  beast  dropped 
mortally  wounded,  and  the  boy  was  saved.  I  don't  believe  that  he 
was  so  curious  about  the  whereabouts  of  Elephants  after  that. 

When  the  Elephant  is  desired  as  a  servant,  he  is  captured  in  vari- 


26  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

ous  ways.  Sometimes  he  is  driven  into  great  pens ;  sometimes  he 
tumbles  into  pitfalls,  and  sometimes  tame  Elephants  coax  him  into 
traps,  and  fondle  and  amuse  him  while  their  masters  tie  up  his  legs 
with  great  ropes.  The  pitfalls  are  not  favorite  methods  of  capturing 
Elephants.  Besides  the  injury  that  may  be  done  to  the  animal,  other 
beasts  may  fall  into  and  disturb  the  trap,  and  even  men  may  find 
themselves  at  the  bottom  of  a  great  deep  hole  when  they  least  ex 
pect  it,  for  the  top  is  very  carefully  covered  over  with  sticks  and 
leaves,  so  as  to  look  as  much  as  possible  like  the  surrounding  ground. 
Du  Chaillu,  who  was  a  great  hunter. in  Africa,  once  fell  down  one  of 
these  pits,  and  it  was  a  long  time  before  he  could  make  anybody 
hear  him  and  come  and  help  him  out.  If  an  Elephant  had  happened 
to  put  his  foot  on  the  covering  of  that  hole  while  Du  Chaillu  was 
down  there,  the  hunter  would  have  found  himself  very  much  crowded. 

When  the  Elephant  is  caught,  he  is  soon  tamed  and  trained,  and 
then  he  goes  to  work  to  make  himself  useful,  if  there  is  anything  for 
him  to  do.  And  it  is  when  he  becomes  the  servant  and  companion 
of  man  that  we  have  an  opportunity  of  seeing  what  a  smart  fellow 
he  is. 

It  is  sometimes  hard  to  believe  all  that  we  hear  of  the  Elephant's 
cleverness  and  sagacity,  but  we  know  that  most  of  the  stories  we 
hear  about  him  are  true. 

For  instance,  an  Elephant  which  was  on  exhibition  in  this  country 
had  a  fast  and  true  friend,  a  little  dog.  One  day,  when  these  animals 
were  temporarily  residing  in  a  barn,  while  on  their  march  from  one 
town  to  another,  the  Elephant  heard  some  men  teasing  the  dog,  just 
outside  of  the  barn.  The  rough  fellows  made  the  poor  little  dog 
howl  and  yelp,  as  they  persecuted  him  by  all  sorts  of  mean  tricks  and 
ill  usage.  When  the  Elephant  heard  the  cries  of  his  friend  he  be 
came  very  much  worried,  and  when  at  last  he  comprehended  that 


THE  REAL  KING    OF  BEASTS. 


27 


the  dog  was  being  badly  treated,  he  lifted  up  his  trunk  and  just 
smashed  a  great  hole  in  the  side  of  the  barn,  making  the  stones  and 
boards  fly  before  him. 


When  the  men  saw  this  great  head  sticking  out  through  the  side 
of  the  barn,  and  that  great  long  trunk  brandishing  itself  above  their 
heads,  they  thought  it  was  time  to  leave  that  little  dog  alone. 

Here,  again,  is  an  Elephant  story  which  is  almost  as  tough  as  the 
animal's  hide,  but  we  have  no  right  to  disbelieve  it,  for  it  is  told  by 
very  respectable  writers.  During  the  war  between  the  East  Indian 
natives  and  the  English,  in  1858,  there  was  an  Elephant  named  Kuda- 
bar  Moll  the  Second, — his  mother  having  been  a  noted  Elephant 


28  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

named  Kudabar  Moll.  This  animal  belonged  to  the  British  army, 
and  his  duty  was  to  carry  a  cannon  on  his  back.  In  this  way  he  be 
came  very  familiar  with  artillery.  During  a  battle,  when  his  cannon 
was  posted  on  a  battery,  and  was  blazing  away  at  the  enemy,  the 
good  Kudabar  was  standing,  according  to  custom,  a  few  paces  in  the 
rear  of  the  gunners.  But  the  fire  became  very  hot  on  that  battery, 
and  very  soon  most  of  the  gunners  were  shot  down,  so  that  there  was 
no  one  to  pass  the  cartridges  from  the  ammunition  wagon  to  the  ar 
tillery-men.  Perceiving  this,  Kudabar,  without  being  ordered,  took 
the  cartridges  from  the  wagon,  and  passed  them,  one  by  one,  to  the 
gunner.  Very  soon,  however,  there  were  only  three  men  left,  and 
these,  just  as  they  had  loaded  their  cannon  for  another  volley,  fell 
killed  or  wounded,  almost  at  the  same  moment.  One  of  them,  who 
held  a  lighted  match  in  his  hand,  called  as  he  fell  to  the  Elephant  and 
hande'd  him  the  match.  The  intelligent  Kudabar  took  the  match  in 
his  trunk,  stepped  up  to  the  cannon, .and  fired  it  off! 

He  was  then  about  to  apply  the  match  to  others,  when  re-enforce 
ments  came  up,  and  his  services  as  an  artillery-man  were  no  longer 
required. 

I  cannot  help  thinking,  that  if  that  Elephant  had  been  furnished 
with  a  pen  and  ink,  he  might  possibly  have  written  a  very  good  ac 
count  of  the  battle. 

But  few  stories  are  quite  as  wonderful  as  that  one.  We  have  no 
difficulty  at  all  in  believing  the  account  of  the  Elephant  who  took  care 
of  a  little  child.  He  did  not  wear  a  cap  and  apron,  as  the  artist  has 
shown  in  the  picture,  but  he  certainly  was  a  very  kind  and  attentive 
nurse.  When  the  child  fell  down,  the  Elephant  would  put  his  trunk 
gently  around  it,  and  pick  it  up.  When  it  got  tangled  among  thorns 
or  vines,  the  great  nurse  would  disengage  it  as  carefully  as  any  one 
could  have  done  it ;  and  when  it  wandered  too  far,  the  Elephant  would 


THE  REAL  KING  OF  BEASTS. 


29 


bring  it  back  and  make  it  play  within  proper  limits.  I  do  not  know 
what  would  have  been  the  consequence  if  this  child  had  behaved 
badly,  and  the  Elephant  had  thought  fit  to  give  it  a  box  on  the  ear. 
But  nothing  of  the  kind  ever  happened,  and  the  child,  was  a  great 
deal  safer  than  it  would  have  been  with  many  ordinary  nurses. 


There  are  so  many  stones  told  about  the  Elephant  that  I  can  allude 
to  but  few,  even  if  I  did  not  believe  that  you  were  familiar  with  a 
great  many  of  them. 

One  of  the  most  humane  and  thoughtful  Elephants  of  whom  I  have 
ever  heard  was  one  which  was  attached,  like  our  friend  Kudabar,  to 
an  artillery  train  in  India.  He  was  walking,  on  a  march,  behind  a 
wagon,  when  he  perceived  a  soldier  slip  down  in  the  road  and  fall  ex 
actly  where,  in  another  instant,  the  hind-wheel  of  the  wagon  would 
pass  over  him.  Without  being  ordered,  the  Elephant  seized  the 
wheel  with  his  trunk,  lifted  it — wagon  and  all — in  the  air,  and  held  it 
up  until  it  had  passed  over  the  fallen  soldier ! 


30  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

Neither  you  nor  I  could  have  done  better  than  that,  even  if  we  had 
been  strong  enough. 


A  very  pretty  story  is  told  of  an  Indian  Elephant  who  was  very 
gallant.  His  master,  a  young  Burman  lord,  had  recently  been  mar 
ried,  and,  shortly  after  the  wedding,  he  and  his  bride,  with  many  of 
their  guests  and  followers,  were  gathered  together  in  the  veranda, 
on  the  outside  of  his  house.  The  Elephant,  who  was  a  great  fa 
vorite  with  the  young  lord,  happened  to  be  conducted  past  the  house 
as  the  company  were  thus  enjoying  .themselves.  Feeling,  no  doubt, 
that  it  was  right  to  be  as  polite  as  possible  on  this  occasion,  he  put 
his  trunk  over  a  bamboo-fence  which  enclosed  a  garden,  and  select 
ing  the  biggest  and  brightest  flower  he  could  see,  he  approached  the 
veranda,  and  rearing  himself  upon  his  hind-legs,  he  stretched  out 
his  trunk,  with  the  flower  held  delicately  in  the  little  finger  at  its  end, 
towards  the  company.  One  of  the  women  reached  out  her  hand  for 
it,  but  the  Elephant  would  not  give  it  to  her.  Then  his  master 
wished  to  take  it,  but  the  Elephant  would  not  let  him  have  it.  But 
when  the  newly-made  bride  came  forward  the  Elephant  presented  it 
to  her  with  all  the  grace  of  which  he  was  capable ! 


THE  REAL  KING  OF  BEASTS. 


Now,  do  you  not  think  that  an  animal  which  is  larger  and  more 

.  powerful  than  any  beast  which  walks  the  earth,  and  is,  at  the  same 

time,  gentle  enough  to  nurse  a  child,  humane  enough  to  protect  a  dog 

or  a  man,  and  sensible  enough  to  be  polite  to  a  newly-married  lady, 

is  deserving  of  the  title  of  the  King  of  Beasts  ? 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


THE  FRENCH  SOLDIER-BOY. 

ANXIOUSLY  the  General-in-chief  of  the  French  Army  stood  upon 
a  little  mound  overlooking  the  battle-field.  The  cannon  were  thun 
dering,  the  musketry  was  rattling,  and  clouds  of  smoke  obscured 
the  field  and  the  contending  armies. 

"Ah!  "  thought  he,  "if  that  town  over  yonder  is  not  taken;  if  my 


THE  FRENCH  SOLDIER-BOY.  33 

brave  captains  fall,  and  my  brave  soldiers  falter  at  that  stone  wall; 
and  if  our  flag  shall  not  soon  wave  over  those  ramparts,  France  may 
yet  be  humbled." 

Is  it,  then,  a  wonder,  feeling  that  so  much  depended  on  the  result 
of  this  battle,  that  his  eyes  strove  so  earnestly  to  pierce  the  heavy 
clouds  of  smoke  that  overhung  the  scene  ? 

But  while  he  stood,  there  came  towards  him,  galloping  madly  out 
of  the  battle,  a  solitary  rider. 

In  a  few  minutes  he  had  reached  the  General,  and  thrown  himself 
from  his  saddle. 

It  was  a  mere  boy — one  of  the  very  youngest  of  soldiers ! 

"  Sire  !  "  he  cried,  "  we've  taken  the  town  !  Our  men  are  in  the 
market-place,  and  you  -can  ride  there  now !  And  see ! — upon  the 
walls — our  flag !  " 

The  eyes  of  the  General  flashed  with  joy  and  triumph.  Here  was 
glorious  news ! 

As  he  turned  to  the  boy  to  thank  him  for  the  more  than  welcome 
tidings  that  he  brought,  he  noticed  that  the  lad  was  pale  and  trem 
bling,  and  that  as  he  stood  holding  by  the  mane  of  his  horse,  his  left 
hand  was  pressed  upon  his  chest,  and  the  blood  was  slowly  trickling 
between  his  fingers. 

"My  boy  !  "  said  he,  tenderly,  -as  he  fixed  his  eyes  upon  the  strip 
ling,  "  you're  wounded  !  " 

"  No,  sire ! "  cried  the  boy,  his  pale  face  flushing  as  his  General 
thus  addressed  him,  and  the  shouts  of  victory  filled  his  ears,  "  I  am 
not  wounded ;  I  am  killed  !  "  And  down  at  his  General's  feet  he  fell 
and  died. 

There  have  been  brave  men  upon  the  battle-field  ever  since  the 
world  began,  but  there  never  was  a  truer  soldier's  heart  than  that 
which  kept  this  boy  alive  until  he  had  borne  to  his  General  the  glo 
rious  news  of  the  battle  won. 
3 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


A  LIVELY  WAY  TO  RING  A  BELL. 

HERE  are  two  young  men  who  look  very  much  as  if  they  were 
trying  to  break  their  necks ;  but  in  reality  they  have  no  such  desire. 


A  LIVEL Y  WAY  TO  RING  A  BELL,    .  35 

They  are  simply  ringing  that  great  bell,  and  riding  backward  and  for 
ward  on  it  as  it  swings  through  the  air. 

These  young  fellows  are  Spaniards,  and  in  many  churches  in  their 
country  it  is  considered  a  fine  thing  to  go  up  into  the  belfry  of  a  church 
or  cathedral,  and,  when  the  regular  bell-ringers  are  tired,  to  jump  on 
the  great  bells  and  swing  away  as  hard  as  they  can  make  them  go. 
No  matter  about  any  particular  peal  or  style  of  ringing. 

The  faster  and  the  more  furiously  they  swing,  the  jollier  the  ride, 
and  the  greater  the  racket.  Sometimes  in  a  cathedral  there  are  twenty 
bells,  all  going  at  once,  with  a  couple  of  mad  chaps  riding  on  each 
one  of  them.  It  is,  doubtless,  a  very  pleasant  amusement,  after  one 
gets  used  to  it,  but  it  is  a  wonder  that  some  of  those  young  men  are 
not  shot  off  into  the  air,  when  the  great  bell  gets  to  swinging  as  fast 
and  as  far  as  it  can  go. 

But  although  they  hold  on  as  tightly  as  if  they  were  riding  a  wild 
young  colt,  they  are  simply  foolhardy.  No  man  or  boy  has  a  right 
to  risk  his  life  and  limbs  in  such  reckless  feats. 

There  is  no  probability,  however,  of  the  sport  ever  being  intro 
duced  into  this  country. 

Even  if  there  were  no  danger  in  it,  such  a  clatter  and  banging  as 
is  heard  in  a  Spanish  belfry,  when  the  young  men  are  swinging  on 
the  bells,  would  never  be  allowed  in  our  churches.  The  Spaniards 
may  like  such  a  noise  and  hubbub,  but  they  like  a  great  many  things 
which  would  not  suit  us. 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


DOWN  IN  THE  EARTH. 

LET  us  take  a  little  trip  down  under  the  surface  of  the  earth.  There 
will  be  something  unusual  about  such  an  excursion.  Of  course,  as 
we  are  not  going  to  dig  our  way,  we  will  have  to  find  a  convenient 
hole  somewhere,  and  the  best  hole  for  the  purpose  which  I  know  of 
is  in  Edmondson  County,  Kentucky. 

So  let  us  go  there. 

When  we  reach  this  hole  we  'find  that  it  is  not  a  very  large  one, 
but  still  quite  high  and  wide  enough  for  us  to  enter.  But,  before  we 
go  in  to  that  dark  place,  we  will  get  some  one  to  carry  a  light  and 


DOWN  IN  THE  EARTH.  37 

guide  us ;  for  this  underground  country  which  we  are  going  to  ex 
plore  is  very  extensive,  very  dark,  and,  in  some  places,  very  dan 
gerous. 

Here  is  a  black  man  who  will  go  with  us.  He  has  a  lantern,  and 
he  says  he  knows  every  nook  and  corner  of  the  place.  So  we  engage 
him,  get  some  lanterns  for  ourselves,  and  in  we  go.  We  commence 
to  go  downwards  very  soon  after  we  have  passed  from  the  outer  air 
and  sunshine,  but  it  is  not  long  before  we  stand  upon  a  level  surface, 
where  we  can  see  nothing  of  the  outside  world.  If  our  lanterns  went 
out,  we  should  be  in  pitchy  darkness. 

Now  we  are  in  the  Mammoth  Cave  of  Kentucky  ! 

This  vast  cavern,  which  stretches  so  many  miles  beneath  the  sur 
face  of  the  earth,  has  never  been  fully  explored ;  but  we  are  going 
over  as  much  of  it  as  our  guide  is  accustomed  to  show  to  visitors, 
and  if  our  legs  are  not  .tired  before  we  get  back  I  shall  be  very  much 
surprised,  for  the  trip  will  take  us  all  day.  The  floor  on  which  we 
are  now  standing  is  smooth  and  level,  and  runs  back  into  the  interior 
of  the  cave  fully  a  thousand  yards.  This  place  they  call  the  "  Audu- 
bon  Gallery  "  —after  our  famous  naturalist  who  made  birds  the  study 
of  his  life.  His  works  are  published  in  enormous  volumes,  costing 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  apiece.  Perhaps  your  father  will 
get  you  one. 

We  pass  quickly  through  this  gallery,  where  there  is  not  much  to 
see,  although,  to  be  sure,  they  used  to  manufacture  saltpetre  here. 
Think  of  that !  A  manufactory  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth  !  Then 
we  enter  a  large,  roundish  room  called  the  "  Rotunda,"  and  from  this 
there  are  a  great  many  passages,  leading  off  in  various  directions. 
One  of  these,  which  is  called  the  "  Grand  Vestibule,"  will  take  us  to 
the  "  Church." 

Yes,  we  have  a  church  here,  and,  what  is  more,  there  has  been 


38  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

preaching  in  it,  although  I  have  never  heard  that  it  had  any  regular 
members.  This  room  has  a  vast  arched  roof,  and  a  great  many 
stalactites  hang  from  the  walls  and  roof  in  such  a  way  as  to  give 
one  an  idea  of  Gothic  architecture.  Therefore  this  has  been  called 
the  "  Gothic  Church."  You  can  see  a  great  deal  which  looks  like 
old-fashioned  church  ornaments  and  furniture,  and,  as  the  light  of  the 
lanterns  flashes  about  on  the  walls  and  ceiling,  you  can  imagine  a  great 
deal  more. 

After  this  we  come  to  the  "  Gothic  Avenue,"  which  would  be  a  very 
interesting  place  to  us  if  we  but  had  a  little  more  time ;  but  we  hurry 
through  it,  for  the  next  room  we  are  to  visit  is  called  the  "  Haunted 
Chamber !  "  Every  one  of  us  must  be  very  anxious  to  see  anything  of 
that  kind.  When  we  get  into  it,  however,  we  are  very  much  disap 
pointed.  It  is  not  half  so  gloomy  and  dark  as  the  rest  of  the  cave,  for 
here  we  are  pretty  sure  to  find  people,  and  lights,  and  signs  of  life. 

Here  you  may  sometimes  buy  gingerbread  and  bottled  beer,  from 
women  who  have  stands  here  for  that  purpose.  It  is  expected  that 
when  visitors  get  this  far  they  will  be  hungry.  Sometimes,  too,  there 
are  persons  who  live  down  here,  and  spend  most  of  their  time  in  this 
chamber.  These  are  invalid  people  with  weak  lungs,  who  think  that 
the  air  of  the  cave  is  good  for  them.  I  do  not  know  whether  they  are 
right  or  not,  but  I  am  sure  that  they  take  very  gloomy  medicine. 
The  only  reason  for  calling  this  room  the  Haunted  Chamber  is,  that 
the  first  explorers  of  the  cave  found  mummies  here. 

Who  these  were  when  they  were  alive,  no  man  can  say.  If  they 
were  Indians,  they  were  very  different  Indians  from  those  who  have 
lived  in  this  country  since  its  discovery.  They  do  not  make  mum 
mies.  But  all  over  our  land  we  find  evidences  that  some  race — now 
extinct — lived  here  before  the  present  North  American  Indian. 

Whether  the  ghosts  of  any  of  these  mummies  walk  about  in  this 


DOWN  IN  THE  EARTH.  39 

room,  I  cannot  say ;  but  as  no  one  ever  saw  any,  or  heard  any,  or 
knew  anybody  who  had  seen  or  heard  any,  I  think  it  is  doubtful. 

When  we  leave  this  room  we  go  down  some  ladders  and  over  a 
bridge,  and  then  we  enter  what  is  called  the  "  Labyrinth,"  where  the 
passage  turns  and  twists  on  itself  in  a  very  abrupt  manner,  and  where 
the  roof  is  so  low  that  all  of  us,  except  those  who  are  very  short  in 
deed,  must  stoop  very  low.  When  we  get  through  this  passage, 
which  some  folks  call  the  "Path  of  Humiliation" — for  everybody  has 
to  bow  down,  you  know — we  come  to  a  spot  where  the  guide  says  he 
is  going  to  show  us  something  through  a  window. 

The  window  is  nothing  but  a  hole  broken  in  a  rocky  wall ;  but  as 
we  look  through  it,  and  hold  the  lanterns  so  that  we  can  see  as  much 
as  possible,  we  perceive  that  we  are  gazing  down  into  a  deep  and 
enormous  well.  They  call  it  the  "  Bottomless  Pit."  If  we  drop  bits 
of  burning  paper  into  this  well  we  can  see  them  fall  down,  down,  and 
down,  until  they  go  out,  but  can  never  see  them  stop,  as  if  they  had 
reached  the  bottom. 

The  hole  through  which  we  are  looking  is  cut  through  one  side  of 
this  well,  so  that  there  is  a  great  deal  of  it  above  us  as  well  as  below ; 
but  although  we  hold  our  lanterns  up,  hoping  to  see  the  top,  we  can 
see  nothing  but  pitchy  darkness  up  there.  The  roof  of  this  pit  is  too 
high  for  the  light  to  strike  upon  it.  Here  is  a  picture  of  some  persons 
dropping  lights  down  into  this  pit,  hoping  to  be  able  to  see  the  bottom. 

We  must  climb  up  and  down  some  more  ladders  now,  and  then  we 
will  reach  the  "  Mammoth  Dome."  This  is  a  vast  room — big  enough 
for  a  gymnasium  for  giants — and  the  roof  is  so  high  that  no  ordinary 
light  will  show  it.  It  is  nearly  four  hundred  feet  from  the  floor.  The 
next  room  we  visit  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  places  in  the  whole 
cave.  It  is  called  the  Starry  Chamber.  The  roof  and  walls  and 
floor  are  covered  with  little  bright  bits  of  stone,  which  shine  and 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


glitter,  when  a  light  is  brought  into  the  room,  like  real  stars  in  the 

sky.  If  the  guide  is 
used  to  his  business, 
he  can  here  produce 
most  beautiful  effects. 
By  concealing  his  lan 
tern  behind  a  rock-  or 
pillar,  arid  then  grad 
ually  bringing  it  out, 
throwing  more  and 
more  light  upon  the 
roof,  he  can  create  a 
most  lovely  star-light 
scene. 

At  first  all  will  be 
dark,  and  then  a  few 
stars  will  twinkle  out, 
and  then  there  will  be 
more  of  them,  and  each 
one  will  be  brighter, 
and  at  last  you  will 
think  you  are  looking 
up  into  a  dark  sky 
full  of  glorious  shining 
stars  !  And  if  you  look 
at  the  walls  you  will 
see  thousands  of  stars 
that  seem  as  if  they 
were  dropping  from  the 

sky;  and  if  you  cast  your  eyes  upon  the  ground,  you  will  see  it 


DOWN  IN  THE  EARTH.  41 

covered  with  other  thousands  of  stars  that  seem  to  have  already 
fallen  ! 

This  is  a  lovely  place,  but  we  cannot  stay  here  any  longer.  We 
want  to  reach  the  underground  stream,  of  which  we  have  heard  so 
much— the  "  River  Styx." 

This  is  a  regular  river,  running  through  a  great  part  of  the  Mam 
moth  Cave.  You  may  float  on  it  in  a  boat,  and,  if  you  choose,  you 
may  fish  in  it,  although  you  would  not  be  likely  to  catch  anything. 
But  if  you  did,  the  fish  would  have  no  eyes !  All  the  fish  in  this 
river  are  blind.  You  can  easily  perceive  that  eyes  would  be  of  no 
use  in  a  place  where  it  is  always  as  dark  as  pitch,  except  when  travel 
lers  come  along  with  their  lanterns. 

There  is  a  rough  boat  here,  and  we  will  get  into  it  and  have  a  row 
over  this  dark  and  gloomy  river.  Whenever  our  guide  shouts  we 
hear  the  wildest  kind  of  echoes,  and  everything  seems  solemn  and 
unearthly.  At  one  time  our  boat  stops  for  a  moment,  and  the  guide 
goes  on  shore,  and  directly  we  hear  the  most  awful  crash  imaginable. 
It  sounds  as  if  a  dozen  gong-factories  had  blown  up  at  once,  and  we 
nearly  jump  out  of  the  boat !  But  we  soon  see  that  it  was  nothing 
but  the  guide  striking  on  a  piece  of  sheet-iron  or  tin.  The  echoes, 
one  after  another,  from  this  noise  had  produced  the  horrible  crashing 
sounds  we  had  heard. 

After  sailing  along  for  about  half  an  hour  we  land,  and  soon  reach 
an  avenue  which  has  its  walls  ornamented  with  beautiful  flowers — all 
formed  on  the  rocky  walls  by  the  hand  of  Nature. 

Now  we  visit  the  "  Ball  Room,"  which  is  large  and  handsome,  with 
its  walls  as  white  as  snow.     Leaving  this,  we  take  a  difficult  and  ex 
citing  journey  to  the  "  Rocky  Mountains."     We  go  down  steep  paths, 
which  are  narrow,  and  up  steep  ones,  which  are  wide ;  we  jump  over 
wide  cracks  and  step  over  great  stones,  and  we  are  getting  very  tired 


42  R O  UNDABO  UT  RAMBLES. 

of  scrambling  about  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth ;  but  the  guide  tells  us 
that  if  we  will  but  cross  the  "  mountains  " — which  we  find  to  be  noth 
ing  more  than  great  rocks,  which  have  fallen  from  the  roof  above, 
but  which,  however,  are  not  very  easy  to  get  over — we  shall  rest  in 
the  "  Fairy  Grotto."  So  on  we  push,  and  reach  the  delightful  abode 
of  the  fairies  of  the  Mammoth  Cave.  That  is,  if  there  were  any 
fairies  in  this  cave,  they  would  live  here. 

And  a  splendid  place  they  would  have ! 

Great  colonnades  and  magnificent  arches,  all  ornamented  with 
beautiful  stalactites  of  various  forms,  and  glittering  like  cut-glass  in 
the  light  of  our  lanterns,  and  thousands  of  different  ornaments  of 
sparkling  stone,  many  of  them  appearing  as  if  they  were  cut  by  the 
hand  of  skilful  artists,  adorn  this  beautiful  grotto.  At  one  end  there 
is  a  group  of  stalactites,  which  looks  to  us  exactly  like  a  graceful 
palm-tree  cut  out  of  alabaster.  All  over  the  vast  hall  we  can  hear 
the  pattering  and  tinkling  of  the  water,  which  has  been  dripping, 
drop  by  drop,  for  centuries,  and  making,  as  it  carried  with  it  little 
particles  of  earth  and  rock,  all  these  beautiful  forms  which  we  see. 

We  have  now  walked  nearly  five  miles  into  the  great  cave,  and 
there  is  much  which  we  have  not  seen.  But  we  must  go  back  to  the 
upper  earth.  We  will  have  a  tiresome  trip  of  it,  but  it  is  seldom  that 
we  can  get  anything  good  without  taking  a  little  trouble  for  it.  And 
to  have  seen  this  greatest  of  all  natural  caverns  is  worth  far  more 
labor  and  fatigue  than  we  have  expended  on  its  exploration.  There 
is  nothing  like  it  in  the  known  world. 


LIONESS   AND   CUBS. 


44  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


THE   LION. 

I  DO  not  desire  to  be  wanting  in  respect  to  the  Lion.  Because  I 
asserted  that  it  was  my  opinion  that  he  should  resign  the  throne  of 
the  King  of  Beasts  to  the  Elephant,  I  do  not  wish  to  deprive  him  of 
any  part  of  his  just  reputation. 

The  Lion,  with  the  exception  of  any  animal  but  the  Elepjiant, 
the  Rhinoceros,  the  Hippopotamus,  and  such  big  fellows,  is  the 
strongest  of  beasts.  Compared  to  Tigers  and  Panthers,  he  is  some 
what  generous,  and  compared  to  most  of  the  flesh-eating  animals,  he 
is  quite  intelligent.  Lions  have  been  taught  to  perform  certain  feats 
when  in  a  state  of  captivity ;  but,  as  all  of  us  know  who  have  seen 
the  performing  animals  in  a  menagerie,  he  is  by  no  means  the  equal 
of  a  Dog  or  an  Elephant. 

The  Lion  appears  to  the  greatest  advantage  in  the  midst  of  his 
family.  When  he  and  his  wife  are  taking  their  walks  abroad  they 
will  often  fly  before  a  man,  especially  if  he  is  a  white  man. 

But  at  home,  surrounded  by  their  little  ones,  the  case  is  different. 
Those  cubs,  in  the  picture  of  the  Lion's  home,  are  nice  little  fellows, 
and  you  might  play  with  them  without  fear  of  more  than  a  few 
scratches.  But  where  is  the  brave  man  who  would  dare  to  go  down 
among  those  rocks,  armed  with  guns,  pistols,  or  whatever  he  pleased, 
and  take  one  of  them  ! 

I  do  not  think  he  lives  in  your  town. 

We  never  see  a  Lion  looking  very  brave  or  noble  in  a  cage.     Most 

.  of  those  that  I  have  seen  appeared  to  me  to  be  excessively  lazy. 

They  had  not  half  the  spirit  of  the  tigers  and  wolves.     But,  out  in 

his  native   country,  he   presents  a  much  more  imposing  spectacle, 


THE  LION. 


45 


especially  if  one  can  get  a  full  view  of  him  when  he  is  a  little  excited. 
Here  is  a  picture  of  such  a  Lion  as  you  will  not  see  in  a  cage. 

Considering  his    size,  the    strength  of  the    Lion    is    astonishing. 
He  will  kill  an  ox  with 
one  blow  of  his  great 
paw,  if  he  strikes  it  on 
the    back,    and    then 
.seizing  it  in  his  great 
jaws,   he  will  carry  it 
off  almost  as  easily  as 
you     could 
baby. 

And  when  he  has 
carried  his  prey  to  the 
spot  where  he  chooses 
to  have  his  dinner,  he 
shows  that  no  beast 
can  surpass  him  in 
the  meat-eating  line. 
When  he  has  satisfied 
his  hunger  on  an  ox, 
there  is  not  much  left 
for  those  who  come  to 
the  second  table.  And 
there  are  often  other 
Lions,  younger  and 
weaker  than  the  one 
who  has  provided  the 
dinner,  who  must  wait 
until  their  master  or 


46 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


father  is  done  before  they  have  a  chance  to  take  a  bite.  But,  as 
you  may  see  by  this  picture,  they  do  not  wait  very  patiently.  They 
roar  and  growl  and  grumble  until  their  turn  comes. 


Lions  have  some  very  peculiar  characteristics.  When  they  have 
made  a  bound  upon  their  prey  and  have  missed  it,  they  seldom  chase 
the  frightened  animal.  They  are  accustomed  to  make  one  spring  on 
a  deer  or  an  ox,  and  to  settle  the  matter  there  and  then.  So,  after  a 
failure  to  do  this,  they  go  to  the  place  from  which  they  have  made 
the  spring  and  practise  the  jump  over  and  over  until  they  feel  that 
they  can  make  it  the  next  time  they  have  a  chance. 

This  is  by  no  means  a  bad  idea  for  a  Lion — or  a  man  either. 

Another  of  their  peculiarities   is  their  fear  of  traps   and  snares. 


THE  LION. 


47 


Very  often  they  will  not  spring  upon  an  ox  or  a  horse,  simply  because 
it  is  tied  to  a  tree.  They  think  there  is  some  trick  when  they  see  the 
animal  is  fastened  by  a  rope. 

And  when  they  come  upon  a  man  who  is  asleep,  they  will  very 
often  let  him  lie  undisturbed;  They  are  not  accustomed  to  seeing 
men  lying  about  in  their  haunts,  and  they  don't  know  what  to  make 
of  it.  Sometimes  they  take  it  in  their  heads  to  lie  down  there  them 
selves.  Then  it  becomes  disagreeable  for  the  man  when  he  awakes. 


A  story  of  this  kind  is  told  of  an  African  who  had  been  hunting, 
and  who,  being  tired,  had  lain  down  to  sleep.  When  he  awoke  there 
lay  a  great  Lion  at  a  short  distance  from  him !  For  a  minute  or  two 
the  man  remained  motionless  with  fright,  and  then  he  put  forth  his 


48  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

hand  to  take  his  gun,  which  was  on  the  ground  a  few  feet  from 
him. 

But  when  the  Lion  saw  him  move  he  raised  his  head  and  roared. 

The  man  was  quiet  in  a  second. 

After  a  while  it  began  to  be  terribly  hot,  and  the  rocks  on  which 
the  poor  man  was  lying  became  so  heated  by  the  sun  that  they 
burned  his  feet. 

But  whenever  he  moved  the  old  Lion  raised  his  head  and  growled. 

The  African  lay  there  for  a  very  long  time,  and  the  Lion  kept  watch 
over  him.  I  expect  that  Lion  had  had  a  good  meal  just  before  he 
saw  this  man,  and  he  was  simply  saving  him  up  until  he  got  hungry 
again.  But,  fortunately,  after  the  hunter  had  suffered  awfully  from 
the  heat  of  the  burning  sun,  and  had  also  lain  there  all  night,  with 
this  dreadful  beast  keeping  watch  over  him,  the  Lion  became  thirsty 
before  he  got  hungry,  and  when  he  went  off  to  a  spring  to  get  a 
drink  the  African  crawled  away. 

If  that  Lion  had  been  a  Tiger,  I  think  he  would  have  killed  the 
man,  whether  he  wished  to  eat  him  or  not. 

So  there  is  something  for  the  Lion's  reputation. 


BOB'S  HIDING-PLACE. 


49 


BOB'S   HIDING-PLACE. 

BOB  was  not  a  very  big  boy,  but  he  was  a  lively  little  fellow  and 
full  of  fun.  You  can  see  him  there  in  the  picture,  riding  on  his 
brother  Jim's  back.  One  evening  there  happened  to  be  a  great  many 
boys  and  girls  at  Bob's  father's  house.  The  grown-up  folks  were 
having  a  family  party,  and  as  they  .were  going  to  stay  all  night — you 
4 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


see  this  was  in  the  country — some  of  them  brought  their  children 
with  them. 

It  was  not  long  after  supper  that  a  game  of  Blind-Man's-Buff  was 
proposed,  and,  as  it  would  not  do  to  have  such  an  uproar  in  the  sit 
ting-room  as  the  game  would  produce,  the  children  were  all  packed 
off  to  the  kitchen.  There  they  have  a  glorious  time.  Jim  is  the  first 
one  blindfolded,  and,  as  he  gropes  after  the  others,  they  go  stumbling 


up  against  tables,  and  rattling  down  tin-pans,  and  upsetting  each 
other  in  every  direction.  Old  Grandfather,  who  has  been  smoking 
his  pipe  by  the  kitchen  fire,  takes  as  much  pleasure  in  the  game  as 
the  young  folks,  and  when  they  tumble  over  his  legs,  or  come  bang- 


BOB'S  HIDING-PLACE.  51 

ing  up  against  his  chair,  he  only  laughs,  and  warns  them  not  to  hurt 
themselves. 

I  could  not  tell  you  how  often  Grandfather  was  caught,  and  how  they 
all  laughed  at  the  blind-man  when  he  found  out  whom  he  had  -seized. 

But  after  a  while  the  children  became  tired  of  playing  Blind-Man's- 
Buff,  and  a  game  of  Hide-and-Seek  was  proposed.  Everybody  was 
in  favor  of  that,  especially  little  Bob.  It  appears  that  Bob  had  not 
a  very  good  time  in  the  other  game.  Everybody  seemed  to  run  up 
against  him  and  push  him  about,  and  whenever  he  was  caught  the 
blind-man  said  "Bob!"  immediately.  You  see  there  was  no  mistak 
ing  Bob;  he  was  so  little. 

But  in  Hide-and-Seek  he  would  have  a  better  chance.  He  had 
always  liked  that  game  ever  since  he  had  known  how  to  play  any 
thing.  He  was  a  good  little  fellow  for  hiding,  and  he  knew  it. 

When  the  game  had  begun,  and  all  the  children — except  the  big 
gest  girl,  who  was  standing  in  a  corner,  with  her  hands  before  her 
face,  counting  as  fast  as  she  could,  and  hoping  that  she  would  come 
to  one  hundred  before  everybody  had  hidden  themselves — had  scam 
pered  off  to  various  hiding-places,  Bob  still  stood  in  the  middle  of 
the  kitchen-floor,  wondering  where  in  the  world  he  should  go  to  !  All 
of  a  sudden — the  girl  in  the  corner  had  already  reached  sixty-four— 
he  thought  he  would  go  down  in  the  cellar. 

There  was  no  rule  against  that — at  least  none  that  he  knew  of— 
and  so,  slipping  softly  to  the  cellar-door,  over  in  the  darkest  corner 
of  the  kitchen,  he  opened  it,  and  went  softly  down  the  steps. 

There  was  a  little  light  on  the  steps,  for  Bob  did  not  shut  the  door 
quite  tightly  after  him,  and  if  there  had  been  none  at  all,  he  would 
have  been  quite  as  well  pleased.  He  was  not  afraid  of  the  dark,  and 
all  that  now  filled  his  mind  was  the  thought  of  getting  somewhere 
where  no  one  could  possibly  find  him.  So  he  groped  his  way  under 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


the  steps,  and  there  he  squatted  down  in  the  darkness,  behind  two 
barrels  which  stood  in  a  corner. 

"Now,"  thought  Bob,  "she  won't  find  me — easy." 

He  'waited  there  a  good  while,  and  the  longer  he  waited  the 
prouder  he  became. 

"  I'll  bet  mine's  the  hardest  place  of  all,"  he  said  to  himself. 

Bob  heard  a  great  deal  of  noise  and  shouting  after  the  big  girl 


came  out  from  her  corner  and  began  finding  the  others,  and  he  also 
heard  a  bang  above  his  head,  but  he  did  not  know  that  it  was  some 
one  shutting  the  cellar-door.  After  that  all  was  quiet. 

Bob  listened,  but  could  not  hear  a  step.     He  had  not  the  slightest 


BOB'S  HIDING-PLACE.  53 


idea,  of  course,  that  they  had  stopped  playing  and  were  telling  stories 
by  the  kitchen  fire.  The  big  girl  had  found  them  all  so  easily  that 
Hide-and-Seek  had  been  voted  down. 

Bob  had  his  own  ideas  in  regard  to  this  silence.  "  I  know,"  he  whis 
pered  to  himself,  "they're  all  found,  and  they're  after  me,  and  keep 
ing  quiet  to  hear  me  breathe ! " 

And,  to  prevent  their  finding  his  hiding-place  by  the  sound  of  his 
breathing,  Bob  held  his  breath  until  he  was  red  in  the  face.  He  had 
heard  often  enough  of  that  trick  of  keeping  quiet  and  listening  to 
breathing.  You  couldn't  catch  him  that  way  ! 

When  he  was  at  last  obliged  to  take  a  breath,  you  might  have  sup 
posed  he  would  have  swallowed  half  the  air  in  the  cellar.  He  thought 
he  had  never  tasted  anything  so  good  as  that  long  draught  of  fresh 
air. 

"  Can't  hold  my  breath  all  the  time  ! "  Bob  thought.  "  If  I  could, 
maybe  they'd  never  find  me  at  all,"  which  reflection  was  much  nearer 
the  truth  than  the  little  fellow  imagined. 

I  don't  know  how  long  Bob  had  been  sitting  under  the  steps — it 
may  have  been  five  minutes,  or  it  may  have  been  a  quarter  of  an  hour, 
and  he  was  beginning  to  feel  a  little  cold — when  he  heard  the  cellar- 
door  open,  and  some  one  put  their  foot  upon  the  steps. 

"  There  they  are ! "  he  thought,  and  he  cuddled  himself  up  in  the 
smallest  space  possible. 

.  Some  one  was  coming  down,  sure  enough,  but  it  was  not  the  chil 
dren,  as  Bob  expected.  It  was  his  Aunt  Alice  and  her  cousin  Tom 
Green.  They  had  come  down  to  get  some  cider  and  apples  for  the 
company,  and  had  no  thought  of  Bob.  In  fact,  when  Bob  was  missed 
it  was  supposed  that  he  had  got  tired  and  had  gone  up-stairs,  where 
old  Aunt  Hannah  was  putting  some  of  the  smaller  children  to  bed. 

So,  of  course,  Alice  and  Tom  Green  did  not  try  to  find  him,  but 


54 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


Bob,  who  could  not  see  them,  thought  it  was  certainly  some  of  the 
children  come  down  to  look  for  him. 

In  this  picture  of  the  scene  in  the  cellar,  little  Bob  is  behind  those 
two  barrels  in  the  right-hand  upper  corner,  but  of  course  you  can't 
see  him.  He  knows  how  to  hide  too  well  for  that. 


But  when  Tom  and  Alice  spoke,  Bob  knew  their  voices  and  peeped 
out. 

"  Oh  !  "  he  thought,  "  it's  only  Aunt  Alice  and  he.  They've  come 
down  for  cider  and  things.  I've  got  to  hide  safe  now,  or  they'll  tell 
when  they  go  up-stairs." 

"  I  didn't  know  all  them  barrels  had  apples  in  !     I  thought  some 


BOB'S  HID  ING-PL  A  CE.  5  5 

were  potatoes.  I  wish  they  would  just  go  up-stairs  again  and  leave 
that  candle  on  the  floor !  I  wonder  if  they  will  forget  it !  If  they 
do,  I'll  just  eat  a  whole  hat-full  of  those  big  red  apples,  and  some  of 
the  streakedy  ones  in  the  other  barrel  too ;  and  then  I'll  put  my 
mouth  to  the  spigot  of  that  cider-barrel,  and  turn  it,  and  drink  and 
drink  and  drink — and  if  there  isn't  enough  left  in  that  barrel,  I'll  go 
to  another  one  and  turn  that.  I  never  did  have  enough  cider  in  all 
my  life.  I  wish  they'd  hurry  and  go  up. 

"  Kissin' !  what's  the  good  of  kissin' !  A  cellar  ain't  no  place  for 
that.  I  expect  they  won't  remember  to  forget  the  candle  if  they 
don't  look  out ! 

"Oh,  pshaw!  just  look  at  'em!  They're  a-going  up  again,  and 
taking  the  candle  along !  The  mean  things  !  " 

Poor  little  Bob ! 

There  he  sat  in  his  corner,  all  alone  again  in  the  darkness  and 
silence,  for  Tom  and  Alice  had  shut  the  cellar-door  after  them  when 
they  had  gone  up-stairs.  He  sat  quietly  for  a  minute  or  two,  and 
then  he  said  to  himself: 

"  I  b'lieve  I'd  just  as  lieve  they'd  find  me  as  not." 

And  to  help  them  a  little  in  their  search  he  began  to  kick  very 
gently  against  one  of  the  barrels. 

Poor  Bob !  If  you  were  to  kick  with  all  your  force  and  even  upset 
the  barrel  they  would  not  hear  you.  And  what  is  more,  they  are  not 
even  thinking  of  you,  for  the  apples  are  now  being  distributed. 

"  I  wonder,"  said  the  little  fellow  to  himself,  "  if  I  could  find  that 
red-apple  barrel  in  the  dark.  But  then  I  couldn't  tell  the  red  ones 
from  the  streakedy  ones.  But  either  of  'em  would  do.  I  guess 
I  won't  try,  though,  for  I  might  put  my  hand  on  a  rat.  They  run 
about  when  it's  dark.  I  hope  they  won't  come  in  this  corner.  But 
there's  nothin'  for  'em  to  eat  in  this  corner  but  me,  and  they  ain't 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


lions.  I  wonder  if  they'll  come  down  after  more  cider  when  that's  all 
drunk  up.  If  they  do,  I  guess  I'll  come  out  and  let  Aunt  Alice  tell 
them  all  where  I  am.  I  don't  like  playin'  this  game  when  it's  too 
long." 


And  so  he  sat  and  waited  and  listened,  and  his  eye-lids  began  to 
grow  heavy  and  his  head  began  to  nod,  and  directly  little  Bob  was 
fast  asleep  in  the  dark  corner  behind  the  barrels. 

By  ten  o'clock  the  children  were  all  put  to  bed,  and  soon  after  the 
old  folks  went  up-stairs,  leaving  only  Tom  Green,  Alice,  and  some  of 
the  young  men  and  women  down  in  the  big  sitting-room. 

Bob's  mother  went  up  into  the  room  where  several  of  the  children 
were  sleeping,  and  after  looking  around,  she  said  to  the  old  colored 
nurse : 

"  Hannah,  what  have  you  done  with  Bob  ?  " 


BOB'S  HIDING-PL  A  CE.  5  7 

"  I  didn't  put  him  to  bed,  mum.  I  spect  Miss  Alice  has  took  him 
to  her  bed.  She  knowed  how  crowded  the  chil'un  all  was,  up  here." 

"But  Alice  has  not  gone  to  bed,"  said  Bob's  mother. 

"  Don't  spect  she  has,  mum,"  said  Hannah.  "  But  I  reckon  she 
put  him  in  her  bed  till  she  come." 

"  I'll  go  and  see,"  said  Bob's  mother. 

She  went,  and  she  saw,  but  she  didn't  see  Bob !  And  he  wasn't 
in  the  next  room,  or  in  any  bed  in  the  house,  or  under  any  bed,  or  any 
where  at  all,  as  far  as  she  could  see ;  and  so,  pretty  soon,  there  was 
a  nice  hubbub  in  that  house  ! 

Bob's  mother  and  father,  and  his  grandfather,  and  Hannah,  and 
the  young  folks  in  the  parlor,  and  nearly  all  the  rest  of  the  visitors, 
ransacked  the  house  from  top  to  bottom.  Then  they  looked  out  of 
doors,  and  some  of  them  went  around  the  yard,  where  they  could  see 
very  plainly,  as  it  was  bright  moonlight.  But  though  they  searched 
and  called,  there  was  no  Bob. 

The  house-doors  being  open,  Snag  the  dog  came  in,  and  he  joined 
in  the  search,  you  may  be  sure,  although  I  do  not  know  that  he  ex 
actly  understood  what  they  were  looking  for. 

Some  one  now  opened  the  cellar-door,  but  it  seemed  preposterous 
to  look  down  in  the  cellar  for  the  little  fellow. 

But  nothing  was  preposterous  to  Snag. 

The  moment  the  cellar-door  was  opened  he  shuffled  down  the 
steps  as  fast  as  he  could  go.  He  knew  there  was  somebody  down 
there. 

And  when  those  who  followed  him  with  a  candle  reached  the  cel 
lar-floor,  there  was  Snag,  with  his  head  between  the  barrels,  wagging 
his  tail  as  if  he  was  trying  to  jerk  it  off,  and  whining  with  joy  as  he 
tried  to  stick  his  cold  nose  into  the  rosy  face  o£  little  sleeping  Bob. 

It  was  Tom  Green  who  carried  Bob  up-stairs,  and  very  soon  in- 


58  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

deed  all  the  folks  were  gathered  in  the  kitchen,  and  Bob  sleepily 
told  his  story. 

"But  Tom  and  I  were  down  in  the  cellar,"  said  his  Aunt  Alice, 
"and  we  didn't  see  you." 

"  I  guess  you  didn't,"  said  Bob,  rubbing  his  eyes.  "I  was  a-hidin' 
and  you  was  a-kissin'." 

What  a  shout  of  laughter  arose  in  the  kitchen  at  this  speech ! 
Everybody  laughed  so  much  that  Bob  got  wide  awake  and  wanted 
some  apples  and  cake. 

The  little  fellow  certainly  made  a  sensation  that  night;  but  it  was 
afterwards  noticed  that  he  ceased  to  care  much  for  the  game  of  Hide- 
and-Seek.  He  played  it  too  well,  you  see. 


THE  CONTINENTAL  SOLDIER. 


59 


THE  CONTINENTAL  SOLDIER. 

DID  you  ever  see  a  Continental  Soldier? 
I  doubt  it.  Some  twenty  years  ago  there  used 
to  be  a  few  of  them  scattered  here  and  there 
over  the  country,  but  they  must  be  nearly  all 
gone  now.  About  a  year  ago  there  were  but  two 
of  them  left.  Those  whom  some  of  us  can  re 
member  were  rather  mournful  old  gentlemen. 
They  shuffled  about  their  dwelling-places,  they 
smoked  their  pipes,  and  they  were  nearly  always 
ready  to  talk  about  the  glorious  old  days  of  the 
Revolution.  It  was  well  they  had  those  days  to 
fall  back  upon,  for  they  had  but  little  share  in  the  glories  of  the  pres 
ent.  When  they  looked  abroad  upon  the  country  that  their  arms, 
and  blood  perhaps,  had  helped  give  to  that  vigorous  Young  America 
which  now  swells  with  prosperity  from  Alaska  to  Florida,  they  could 
see  very  little  of  it  which  they  could  call  their  own. 

It  was  difficult  to  look  upon  those  feeble  old  men  and  imagine  that 
they  were  once  full  of  vigor  and  fire ;  that  they  held  their  old  flint 
locks  with  arms  of  iron  when  the  British  cavalry  rushed  upon  their 
bayonets ;  that  their  keen  eyes  flashed  a  deadly  aim  along  their  rusty 
rifle-barrels ;  that,  with  their  good  swords  quivering  in  their  sinewy 
hands,  they  urged  their  horses  boldly  over  the  battle-field,  shouting 
brave  words  to  their  advancing  men  ;  and  that  they  laughed  at  heat 
and  cold,  patiently  endured  hunger  and  privation,  strode  along  brave 
ly  on  the  longest  marches,  and,  at  last,  stood  proudly  by  when  Corn- 
wallis  gave  up  his  sword. 

Those  old  gentlemen  did  not  look  like  anything  of  that  sort.    Their 


6o 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


old  arms  could  hardly  manage  their  old  canes ;  their  old  legs  could 
just  about  carry  them  on  a  march  around  the  garden,  and  they  were 
very  particular  indeed  about  heat  and  cold. 

But  History  and  Art  will  better  keep  alive  the  memory  of  their 
good  deeds,  and  call  more  vigorously  upon  the  gratitude  of  their 
countrymen,\  than  those  old  Continentallers  could  themselves  have 
done  it,  had  they  lived  on  for  years  and  years,  and  told  generation 
after  generation  how  once  they  galloped  proudly  along  the  ranks,  or, 
in  humbler  station,  beat  with  vigorous  arm  the  stirring  drum-roll  that 
called  their  comrades  to  the  battle-field. 


A  JUDGE  OF  MUSIC. 


6r 


A  JUDGE  OF  MUSIC. 

IT  is  not  well  to  despise  anybody  or  anything  until  you  know  what 
they  can  do.  I  have  known  some  very  stupid-looking  people  who 
could  do  a  sum  in  the  rule-of-three  in  a  minute,  and  who  could  add 
up  a  column  of  six  figures  abreast  while  I  was  just  making  a  begin 
ning  at  the  right-hand  bottom  corner.  But  stupid-looking  beings  are 
often  good  at  other  things  besides  arithmetic.  I  have  seen  doctors, 
with  very  dull  faces,  who  knew  all  about  castor-oil  and  mustard-plas 
ters,  and  above  you  see  a  picture  of  a  Donkey  who  understood 
music. 

This  animal  had  a  very  fine  ear  for  music.  You  can  see  how  much 
ear  he  had,  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  he  enjoyed  the  sweet  sounds 
from  one  end  to  the  other  of  those  beautiful  long  flaps.  Well,  he 
very  often  had  an  opportunity  of  enjoying  himself,  for  the  lady  of  the 
house  was  a  fine  musician,  and  she  used  to  sing  and  play  upon  the 
piano  nearly  every  day.  And  as  soon  as  he  heard  the  sweet  sounds 


62  R O  UNDABO  UT  RAMBLES. 

which  thrilled  his  soul,  the  Donkey  would  come  to  the  parlor  window 
and  listen. 

One  day  the  lady  played  and  sang  something  which  was  particu 
larly  sweet  and  touching.  I  never  heard  the  name  of  the  song — 
whether  it  was  "  I'm  sitting  on  the  stile,  Mary,"  or  "  A  watcher,  pale 
and  weary  " — but  if  it  was  the  latter,  I  am  not  surprised  that  it  should 
have  overcome  even  a  jackass.  At  any  rate,  the  music  so  moved  the 
soul  of  Mr.  Donkey  that  he  could  no  longer  restrain  himself,  but  enter 
ing  the  open  door  he  stepped  into  the  parlor,  approached  the  lady, 
and  with  a  voice  faltering  from  the  excess  of  his  emotion,  he  joined  in 
the  chorus ! 

The  lady  jumped  backwards  and  gave  a  dreadful  scream,  and  the 
Donkey,  thinking  that  the  music  went  up  very  high  in  that  part,  com 
menced  to  bray  at  such  a  pitch  that  you  could  have  heard  him  if  you 
had  been  up  in  a  balloon. 

That  was  a  lively  concert;  but  it  was  soon  ended  by  the  lady  rush 
ing  from  the  room  and  sending  her  man  John  to  drive  out  the  musical 
jackass  with  a  big  stick. 

Fortunately,  all  donkeys  have  not  this  taste  for  music.  The  near 
est  that  the  majority  of  jackasses  come  to  being  votaries  of  music  is 
when  their  skins  are  used  for  covering  cases  for  musical  instruments. 
And  if  they  have  any  ambition  in  the  cause  of  harmony,  that  is  better 
than  nothing. 


THE   SENSITIVE  PLANT. 


64  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


THE  SENSITIVE  PLANT. 

THERE  was  never  a  better  name  for  a  plant  than  this,  for  the  deli 
cate  leaves  which  grow  on  this  slender  stalk  are  almost  as  sensitive 
to  the  touch  as  if  they  were  alive.  If  you  place  your  hand  on  a 
growing  plant,  you  will  soon  see  all  the  leaves  on  the  stem  that  you 
have  touched  fold  themselves  up  as  tightly  as  if  they  had  been  packed 
up  carefully  to  be  sent  away  by  mail  or  express.  In  some  of  the  com 
mon  kinds  of  this  plant,  which  grow  about  in  our  fields,  it  takes  some 
time  for  the  leaves  to  fold  after  they  have  been  touched  or  handled ; 
but  if  you  watch  them  long  enough — five  or  ten  minutes — you  will 
see  that  they  never  fail  to  close.  They  are  not  so  sensitive  as  their 
cultivated  kindred,  but  they  still  have  the  family  disposition. 

Now  this  is  certainly  a  wonderful  property  for  a  plant  to  possess, 
but  it  is  not  half  so  strange  as  another  trait  of  these  same  pretty  green 
leaves.  They  will  shut  up  when  it  is  dark,  and  open  when  it  is  light. 

It  may  be  said  that  many  other  plants  will  do  this,  but  that  is  a 
mistake.  Many  flowers  and  leaves  close  at  night  and  open  in  the 
day-time,  but  very  few  indeed  exhibit  the  peculiar  action  of  the  sensi 
tive  plant  in  this  respect.  That  plant  will  open  at  night  if  you  bring 
a  bright  light  into  the  room  where  it  is  growing,  and  it  will  close  its 
leaves  if  the  room  is  made  dark  in  the  day-time. 

Other  plants  take  note  of  times  and  seasons.  The  sensitive  plant 
obeys  no  regular  rules  of  this  kind,  but  acts  according  to  circum 
stances. 

When  I  was  a  boy,  I  often  used  to  go  to  a  green-house  where 
there  were  a  great  many  beautiful  and  rare  plants  ;  but  I  always  thought 
that  the  sensitive  plant  was  the  most  wonderful  thing  in  the  whole 


THE  SENSITIVE  PLANT.  65 

collection,  and  I  did  not  know  then  how  susceptible  it  was  to  the 
influence  of  light.  I  was  interested  in  it  simply  because  it  seemed 
to  have  a  sort  of  vegetable  reason,  and  understood  that  it  should  shut 
up  its  leaves  whenever  I  touched  it. 

But  there  were  things  around  me  in  the  vegetable  kingdom  which 
were  still  more  wonderful  than  that,  and  I  took  no  notice  of  them 
at  all. 

In  the  garden  and  around  the  house,  growing  everywhere,  in  the 
most  common  and  ordinary  places,  were  vines  of  various  kinds — I 
think  there  were  more  morning-glories  than  anything  else — and  these 
exhibited  a  great  deal  more  sense,  and  a  much  nearer  approach  to 
reasoning  powers,  than  the  sensitive  plants,  which  were  so  carefully 
kept  in  the  green-house. 

When  one  of  these  vines  came  up  out  of  the  earth,  fresh  from  its 
seed,  the  first  thing  it  wanted,  after  its  tendrils  began  to  show  them 
selves,  was  something  to  climb  up  upon.  It  would  like  a  good  high 
pole.  Now,  if  there  was  such  a  pole  within  a  few  feet  of  the  little 
vine  it  would  grow  straight  towards  it,  and  climb  up  it! 

It  would  not  grow  first  in  one  direction,  and  then  in  another  and 
then  in  another,  until  it  ran  against  something  to  climb  on,  but  it 
would  go  right  straight  towards  the  pole,  as  if  it  saw  it,  and  knew  it 
was  a  good  one  for  its  purpose. 

I  think  that  there  is  not  much  in  the  vegetable  kingdom  more  won 
derful  than  that. 


66 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


SIR  MARMADUKE. 

SIR  MARMADUKE  was  a  good  old  English  gentleman,  all  of  the  olden 
time.  There  you  see  him,  in  his  old-fashioned  dining-room,  with  his 
old-fashioned  wife  holding  her  old-fashioned  distaff,  while  he  is  sur 
rounded  by  his  old-fashioned  arms,  pets,  and  furniture. 

On  his  hand  he  holds  his  hawk,  and  his  dogs  are  enjoying  the 
great  wood  fire.  His  saddle  is  thrown  on  the  floor ;  his  hat  and  his 
pipes  lie  near  it;  his  sword  and  his  cross-bows  are  stood  up,  or 
thrown  down,  anywhere  at  all,  and  standing  by  his  great  chair  is 


SIR  MARMADUKE.  67 


something  which  looks  like  a  coal-scuttle,  but  which  is  only  a 
helmet. 

Sir  Marmaduke  was  certainly  a  fine  old  gentleman.  In  times  of 
peace  he  lived  happily  with  his  family,  and  was  kind  and  generous  to 
the  poor  around  him.  In  times  of  war  he  fought  bravely  for  his 
country. 

But  what  a  different  old  gentleman  would  he  have  been  had  he 
lived  in  our  day  ! 

Then,  instead  of  saying  "  Rebeck  me  !  "  and  "  Ods  Boddikins  !  " 
when  his  hawk  bit  his  finger  or  something  else  put  him  out  of  humor, 
he  would  have  exclaimed,  "Oh,  pshaw!"  or,  "Botheration!"  In 
stead  of  playing  with  a  hawk,  he  would  have  had  a  black-and-tan  ter 
rier, — if  he  had  any  pet  at  all ;  and  his  wife  would  not  have  been 
bothering  herself  with  a  distaff,  when  linen,  already  spun  and  woven, 
could  be  bought  for  fifty  cents  a  yard.  Had  she  lived  now,  the  good 
lady  would  have  been  mending  stockings  or  crocheting  a  tidy. 

Instead  of  a  pitcher  .of  ale  on  his  supper-table,  the  good  knight 
would  have  had  some  tea  or  coffee ;  and  instead  of  a  chine  of  beef,  a 
mess  of  pottage,  and  a  great  loaf  of  brown  bread  for  his  evening  meal, 
he  would  have  had  some  white  bread,  cakes,  preserves,  and  other 
trifles  of  that  sort,  which  in  the  olden  days  were  considered  only  fit 
for  children  and  women.  The  good  old  English  gentlemen  were 
tremendous  eaters.  They  used  to  take  five  meals  a  day,  and  each 
one  of  them  was  heavy  and  substantial. 

If  Sir  Marmaduke  had  any  sons  or  daughters,  he  would  have  treated 
them  very  differently  in  the  present  day.  Instead  of  keeping  them 
at  home,  under  the  tuition  of  some  young  clergyman  or  ancient 
scholar,  until  they  should  be  old  enough  and  accomplished  enough 
to  become  pages  to'  a  great  lord,  or  companions  to  some  great 
lady,  he  would  have  sent  them  to  school,  and  the  boys — the  younger 


68  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

ones,  at  least — would  have  been  prepared  for  some  occupation  which 
would  support  them,  while  the  girls  would  have  been  taught  to  play 
on  the  piano  and  to  work  slippers. 

In  these  days,  instead  of  that  old  helmet  on  the  floor,  you  would 
have  seen  a  high-top  hat — that  is,  if  the  old  gentleman  should  continue 
to  be  as  careless  as  the  picture  shows  him ;  instead  of  a  cross-bow 
on  the  floor,  and  another  leaning  against  the  chair,  you  would  have 
seen  a  double-barrelled  gun  and  a  powder-horn ;  and  instead  of 
the  picturesque  and  becoming  clothes  in  which  you  see  Sir  Marma- 
duke,  he  would  have  worn  some  sort  of  a  tight-fitting  and  ugly  suit, 
such  as  old  gentlemen  now-a-days  generally  wear. 

There  were  a  great  many  advantages  in  the  old  style  of  living,  and 
also  a  very  great  many  disadvantages.  On  the  whole,  we  should  be 
very  thankful  indeed  that  we  were  born  in  this  century,  and  not  in 
the  good  old  times  of  yore. 

A  little  boy  once  made  a  very  wise  remark  on  this  subject.  He 
said :  "  I  wish  I  could  have  seen  General  Washington  and  Israel 
Putnam  ;  but  I'm  glad  I  didn't,  for  if  I'd  been  alive  then,  I  would  have 
been  dead  now.  And  besides,  I  wouldn't  have  had  any  telegraphs 
and  things." 

There  is  enough  in  that  boy's  remark  for  a  whole  composition,  if 
any  one  chose  to  write  it. 


THE  GIRAFFE. 


69 


THE  GIRAFFE. 


SOME  one  once  called 
the  Giraffe  a  "  two-story 
animal,"  and  the  remark 
was  not  altogether  in 
applicable. 

As  you  see  him  in 
the  picture,  lying  down, 
he  seems  to  be  high 
enough  for  all  ordinary 
purposes ;  but  when  he 
stands  up,  you  will  see 
that  his  legs — or  his 
lower  story — will  ele 
vate  him  to  a  surpris 
ing  height. 

The  ordinary  giraffe 
measures  about  fifteen 
feet  from  the  top  of  his 
head  to  the  ground,  but 
some  of  them  have  been 
known  to  be  over  six 
teen  feet  high.  Most 
of  this  height  is  owing 
to  their  long  necks,  but 
their  fore-legs  are  also 
very  long.  The  hind- 
legs  are  much  shorter, 


70  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

for  there  is  no  necessity  for  any  great  length  in  them.  The 
fore-legs  and  neck  of  the  Giraffe  are  made  long  so  that  he  can  eat 
the  leaves  from  the  tops  of  young  trees.  This  tender  foliage  is  his 
favorite  diet ;  but  he  will  eat  the  foliage  from  any  part  of  a  tree,  and 
he  is  content  with  the  herbage  on  the  ground,  when  there  is  nothing 
else. 

He  is  not  a  fighting  animal.  Those  little  horns  which  you  see  on 
his  head,  and  which  look  as  if  they  had  been  broken  off — although 
they  are  really  their  full  size — are  of  no  use  as  offensive  weapons. 
When  danger  threatens  him  he  runs  away,  and  a  funny  sight  he  is 
then.  He  can  run  very  fast,  but  he  is  very  awkward ;  he  goes  like 
a  cow  on  stilts. 

But  when  there  is  no  chance  for  him  to  run  away,  he  can  often 
defend  himself,  for  he  can  kick  like  a  good  fellow.  His  hind-legs  fly 
so  fast  when  he  is  kicking  that  you  can  hardly  see  them,  and  he  has 
been  known  to  drive  off  a  lion  by  this  means  of  defence. 

When  hunters  wish  to  catch  a  giraffe  alive,  they  generally  drive 
him  into  a  thick  woods,  where  his  great  height  prevents  him  from 
running  very  rapidly ;  and  as  soon  as  they  come  up  with  him,  they 
endeavor  to  entangle  him  in  ropes,  to  throw  him  down,  and  to  put 
a  halter  round  his  neck.  If  they  only  keep  out  of  the  way  of  his  heels, 
there  is  no  need  of  being  afraid  of  him.  When  they  have  secured 
him  they  lead  him  off,  if  he  will  come ;  but  if  he  is  an  old  fellow  he 
will  not  walk  after  them,  and  he  is  too  strong  to  be  easily  pulled  along, 
no  matter  how  many  men  may  be  in  the  hunt.  So  in  this  case  they 
generally  kill  him,  for  his  skin  is  valuable,  and  his  flesh  is  very  good 
to  eat.  But  if  the  giraffe  is  a  young  one,  he  will  follow  his  captors 
without  difficulty,  for  these  animals  are  naturally  very  gentle. 

Why  the  natives  of  Africa  should  desire  to  obtain  living  giraffes, 
unless  it  is  to  sell  them  to  people  who  wish  to  carry  them  to  other 


THE  GIRAFFE.  71 


countries,  travellers  do  not  inform  us.  We  have  never  heard  that 
any  domestic  use  was  made  of  them,  nor  that  they  were  kept  for  the 
sake  of  their  meat.  But  we  suppose  the  hunters  know  their  own 
business. 

It  is  probable  that  the  lion  is  really  the  greatest  enemy  of  the 
giraffe.  It  is  not  often  that  this  crafty  and  powerful  hunter  will  put 
himself  within  reach  of  his  victim's  heels.  Approaching  softly  and 
slowly,  the  lion  waits  until  he  is  quite  near  the  giraffe,  and  then,  with 
one  bound,  he  springs  upon  his  back.  Sometimes  the  giraffe  suc 
ceeds  in  shaking  him  off,  but  generally  they  both  fall  together — the 
giraffe  dead,  and  the  lion  with  his  appetite  whetted  for  an  enormous 
dinner. 


UP   IN   A  BALT.OON. 


UP  IN  THE  AIR. 


73 


UP  IN  THE  AIR. 


WE  have  already  ta 
ken  a  journey  under  the 
earth,  and  now,  if  you 
like,  we  will  try  a  trip 
in  the  air.  Anything 
for  a  novelty.  We  have 
lived  on  the  surface  of 
the  earth  ever  since  we 
were  born. 

We  will  make  our  as 
cent  in  a  balloon.  It 
has  been  thought  by 
some  folks,  that  there 
were  easier  methods  of 
ascending  into  the  air 
than  by  a  cumbrous  bal 
loon,  but  their  inven 
tions  never  became  pop 
ular. 

For  instance,  look  at 
the  picture  of  a  flying- 
man. 

This  gentleman  had 
an  idea  that  he  could  fly 
by  the  aid  of  this  inge 
nious  machinery.  You 
will  see  that  his  wings 


74  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

are  arranged  so  that  they  are  moved  by  his  legs,  and  also  by  cords 
attached  to  his  arms.  The  umbrella  over  his  head  is  not  intended  to 
ward  off  the  rain  or  the  sun,  but  is  to  act  as  a  sort  of  parachute,  to  keep 
him  from  falling  while  he  is  making  his  strokes.  The  basket,  which 
hangs  down  low  enough  to  be  out  of  the  way  of  his  feet,  is  filled  with 
provisions,  which  he  expects  to  need  in  the  course  of  his  journey. 

That  journey  lasted  exactly  as  long  as  it  took  him  to  fall  from  the 
top  of  a  high  rock  to  the  ground  below. 

But  we  are  not  going  to  trust  ourselves  to  any  such  harem-scarem 
contrivance  as  this.  We  are  going  up  in  a  regular  balloon. 

We  all  know  how  balloons  are  made,  and  this  one  of  ours  is  like 
most  others.  It  is  a  great  globular  bag,  made  of  strips  of  silk  sewn 
together,  and  varnished  with  a  certain  composition  which  renders 
the  balloon  air-tight.  The  car  in  which  we  will  travel  is  made  of 
wicker-work,  for  that  is  both  light  and  strong,  and  it  is  suspended 
from  a  net-work  of  strong  cord  which  covers  the  whole  balloon.  It 
would  not  do,  you  know,  to  attach  a  cord  to  any  particular  part  of 
the  silk,  for  that  would  tear  it.  In  the  top  of  the  balloon  is  a  valve, 
and  a  cord  from  it  comes  down  into  the  car.  This  valve  is  to  be 
pulled  open  when  we  wish  to  come  down  towards  the  earth.  The 
gas  then  escapes,  and  of  course  the  balloon  descends.  In  the  car  are 
bags  of  sand,  and  these  are  to  be  emptied  out  when  we  think  we  are 
too  heavy  for  the  balloon,  and  are  either  coming  down  too  fast  or  are 
not  as  high  as  we  wish  to  go.  Relieved  of  the  weight  of  a  bag,  the 
balloon  rises. 

Sand  is  used  because  it  can  be  emptied  out  and  will  not  injure  any 
body  in  its  descent.  It  would  be  rather  dangerous,  if  ballooning 
were  a  common  thing,  for  the  aeronauts  to  throw  out  stones  and  old 
iron,  such  as  are  used  for  the  ballast  of  a  ship.  If  you  ever  feel 
a  shower  of  sand  coming  down  upon  you  through  the  air,  look  up, 


UP  IN  THE  AIR. 


75 


and  you  will  probably  see  a  balloon — that  is,  if  you  do  not  get  some 
of  the  sand  in  your  eyes. 

The  gas  with  which  our  balloon  is  to  be  filled  is  hydrogen  gas  ;  but 
I  think  we  will  not  use  the  pure  hydrogen,  for  it  is  troublesome  and 
expensive  to  produce.  We  will  get  permission  of  the  city  gas  authori 
ties  to  take  gas  from  one  of  their  pipes. 

That  will  carry  us  up  very  well  indeed.  When  the  balloon  is 
nearly  full — we  never  fill  it  entirely,  for  the  gas  expands  when  it 
rises  into  lighter  air,  and  the  balloon  would  explode  if  we  did  not 
leave  room  for  this  expansion — it  is  almost  as  round  as  a  ball,  and 
swells  out  proudly,  struggling  and  pulling  at  the  ropes  which  confine 
it  to  the  ground. 

Now  we  have  but  to  attach  the  car,  get 
in,  and  cut  loose.  But  we  are  going  to  be 
very  careful  on  this  trip,  and  so  we  will 
attach  a  parachute  to  the  balloon.  I  hope 
we  may  not  use  it,  but  it  may  save  us  in 
case  of  an  accident.  This  is  the  manner 
in  which  the  parachute  will  hang  from  the 
bottom  of  the  car. 

It  resembles,  you  see,  a  closed  umbrella 
without  a  handle,  and  it  has  cords  at  the 
bottom,  to  which  a  car  is  attached.  If 
we  wish  to  come  down  by  means  of  this 
contrivance,  we  must  descend  from  the  car 
of  the  balloon  to  that  of  the  parachute,  and 
then  we  must  unfasten  the  rope  which  at 
taches  us  to  the  balloon.  We  will  then 
drop  like  a  shot ;  but  as  soon  as  the  air 
gets  under  our  parachute  it  will  spread  open,  and  our  descent  will 


76 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


immediately  begin  to  be  much  more  gradual,  and  if  nothing  unusual 
occurs  to  us,  we  will  come  gently  to  the  ground.  This  picture  shows 
the  manner  in  which  we  would  come  down  in  a  parachute. 

This  man's  balloon  has 
probably  burst,  for  we  see 
it  is  tumbling  down,  and  it 
will  no  doubt  reach  the 
ground  before  him. 

When  all  is  ready  and  we 
are  properly  seated  in  the 
car,  with  our  instruments  and 
extra  clothes  and  ballast,  and 
some  provisions,  we  will 
give  the  word  to  "let  her 

go." 
There ! 

Did  you  see  that? 
The  earth   dropped  right 
down.      And  it  is  dropping, 
but  more  slowly,  yet. 
That  is  the  sensation  persons  generally  experience  when  they  first 
go  up  in  a  balloon.     Not  being  used  to  rising  in  the  air,  they  think 
at  first  that  they  are  °tationary,  and  that  the  earth  and  all  the  peo 
ple  and  houses  on  it  are  falling  below  them. 

Now,  then,  we  are  off!  Look  down  and  see  how  everything  gets 
smaller,  and  smaller,  and  smaller.  As  we  pass  over  a  river,  we  can 
look  down  to  its  very  bottom  ;  and  if  we  were  not  so  high  we 
could  see  the  fishes  swimming  about.  The  houses  soon  begin  to 
look  like  toy-cottages,  and  the  trees  like  bushes,  and  the  creeks  and 
rivers  like  silvery  bands.  The  people  now  appear  as  black  spots ; 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


we  can  just  see  some  of  them  moving  about ;  but  if  they  were  to 
shout  very  loud  we  might  hear  them,  for  sound  travels  upward  to  a 
great  distance. 

Soon  everything  begins  to  be  mixed  up  below  us.  We  can  hardly 
tell  the  woods  from  the  fields  ;  all  seem  pretty  much  alike.  And  now 
we  think  it  is  getting  foggy ;  we  can  see  nothing  at  all  beneath  us, 
and  when  we  look  up  and  around  us  we  can  see  nothing  but  fog. 

We  are  in  the  clouds  ! 
Yes,  these  are  the  clouds. 
There  is  nothing  very 
beautiful  about  them — 
they  are  only  masses  of 
vapor.  But  how  thick 
that  vapor  is !  Now, 
when  we  look  up,  we 
cannot  even  see  the  bal 
loon  above  us.  We  are 
sitting  in  our  little  bas 
ket-work  car,  and  that  is 
all  we  know !  We  are 
shut  out  from  the  whole 
world,  closed  up  in  a 
cloud ! 

But  this  foggy  atmos 
phere  is  becoming  thin 
ner,  and  we  soon  shoot 
out  of  it !  Now  we  can 
see  clearly  around  us.  Where  are  the  clouds  ?  Look  !  there  they 
are,  spread  out  like  a  great  bed  below  us. 

How  they  glisten  and  sparkle  in  the  bright  sunlight ! 


UP  IN  THE  AIR. 


79 


Is  not  this  glorious,  to  ride  above  the  clouds,  in  what  seems  to  us 
illimitable  space  !  The  earth  is  only  a  few  miles  below  us,  it  is  true, 
but  up  and  around  us  space  is  illimitable. 


But  we  shall  penetrate  space  no  longer  in  an  upward  direction.  It 
is  time  we  were  going  back  to  the  world.  We  are  all  very  cold,  and 
the  eyes  and  ears  of  some  of  us  are  becoming  painful.  More  than 
that,  our  balloon  is  getting  too  large.  The  gas  within  it  is  expanding, 
on  account  of  the  rarity  of  the  air. 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


We  shall  pull  the  rope  of  the  valve. 

Now  we  are  descending.  We  are  in  the  clouds,  and  before  we 
think  much  about  it  we  are  out  of  them.  We  see  the  earth  beneath  us, 
like  a  great  circular  plain,  with  the  centre  a  little  elevated.  Now  we 
see  the  rivers ;  the  forests  begin  to  define  themselves ;  we  can  dis 
tinguish  houses,  and  we  know  that  we  are  falling^very  rapidly.  It  is 
time  to  throw  out  ballast.  We  do  so,  and  we  descend  more  slowly. 

Now  we  are  not  much  higher  than  the  tops  of  the  trees.  People 
are  running  towards  us.  Out  with  another  bag  of  sand  !  We  rise  a 
little.  Now  we  throw  out  the  anchor.  It  drags  along  the  ground  for 


some  distance,  as  the  wind  carries  us  over  a  field,  and  then  it  catches 
in  a  fence.  And  now  the  people  run  up  and  pull  us  to  the  ground, 
and  the  most  dangerous  part  of  our  expedition  is  over. 


UP  IN  THE  AIR.  8 1 


For  it  is  comparatively  safe  to  go  up  in  a  balloon,  but  the  descent 
is  often  very  hazardous  indeed. 

On  the  preceding  page  is  a  picture  of  a  balloon  which  did  not  come 
down  so  pleasantly  as  ours. 

With  nine  persons  in  it,  it  was  driven  over  the  ground  by  a  tremen 
dous  wind ;  the  anchors  were  broken ;  the  car  was  bumped  against 
the  ground  ever  so  many  times ;  and  the  balloon  dashed  into  trees, 
breaking  off  their  branches ;  it  came  near  running  into  a  railroad 
train ;  it  struck  and  carried  away  part  of  a  telegraph  line,  and  at 
last  became  tangled  up  in  a  forest,  and  stopped.  Several  of  the  per 
sons  in  it  had  their  limbs  broken,  and  it  is  a  wonder  they  were  not  all 
killed. 

The  balloon  in  which  we  ascended  was  a  very  plain,  common-sense 
affair ;  but  when  aerial  ascents  were  first  undertaken  the  balloons  were 
very  fancifully  decorated. 

For  instance,  Bagnolet's  balloon  and  that  of  Le  Flesselles,  of  which 
we  have  given  you  pictures,  are  much  handsomer  than  anything  we 
have  at  present.     But  they  were  not  any  more  serviceable  for  all  their  . 
ornamentation,  and  they  differed  from  ours  in  still  another  way — they 
were  "  hot-air  balloons." 

Other  balloons  were  furnished  with  all  sorts  of  fans,  rudders,  etc., 
for  the  purpose  of  steering  them,  or  accelerating  their  motion  up  or 
down. 

On  the  next  page  is  one  of  that  kind. 

This  balloon  ascended  from  Dijon,  France,  in  1784,  but  the  steering- 
apparatus  did  not  prove  to  be  of  much  use. 

There  were  other  balloons  devised  by  the  early  aeronauts,  which 
were  still  stranger  than  that  one  which  arose  from  Dijon.     The  Mi 
nerva,  the  picture  of  which  you  can  examine  at  your  leisure,  was  in 
vented  by  a  Mr.  Robertson,  in  the  beginning  of  this  century.     He 
'6 


82 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


wished  to  make  a  grand  aerial  voyage  of  several  months,  with  a  com 
pany  of  about  sixty  persons,  and  therefore  he  had  to  have  a  very 

(^  large  balloon.     To  pro- 
|  cure  this  he  desired  the 
|  co-operation  of  the  sci 
entific  men  throughout 
|  Europe,  and  sent  plans 
|  and  descriptions  of  his 
H  projected  balloon  to  all 
\  the  learned  societies. 

This  great  ship  of  the 
|  air  was  to  be  a  regular 
|  little  town,  as  you  may 
|  see.      The  balloon  was 
I  to  be  one  hundred  and 
SB  fifty   fe£t    in    diameter, 
g  and  was  to  carry  a  large 
|  ship,  on  which  the  pas 
sengers  would   be   safe 
if  they  descended  in  the 
water,  even  if  it  were  the 
middle  of  the  ocean. 

Everything  was  to  be 
provided  for  the  safety 
and  convenience  of  the 
passengers.  Around  the 
upper  part  of  the  bal 
loon  you  will  see  a  plat 
form,  with  sentries  and 
tents.  These  soldiers  were  to  be  called  the  "  air-marines."  There 


UP  IN  THE  AIR. 


is  a  small  balloon — about  the  common  size — which  could  be  sent  off 
like  a  small  boat  whenever  occasion  required.  If  any  one  got  tired 
of  the  expedition,  and  wanted  to  go  home,  there  was  a  parachute 
by  which  he  might  descend.  On  the  deck  of  the  ship,  near  the 
stern,  was  to  be  a  little  church ;  small  houses  hung  from  below, 
reached  by  ladders  of  silk,  which  were  to  be  used  as  medicine- 


rooms,  gymnasiums,  etc.;  and  under  the  ship  would  hang  a  great 
hogshead,  as  big  as  a  house,  which  would  contain  provisions  and 
stores,  and  keep  them  tight  and  dry.  There  was  also  a  kitchen: 


84 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


and  a  cannon,  with  which  to  fire  off  salutes,  besides  a  number  of  guns, 
which  you  see  projecting  from  the  port-holes  of  the  ship.     These,  I 


suppose,  were  to  be  used  against  all  enemies  or  pirates  of  the  air, 
sea,  or  land. 


UP  IN  THE  AIR.  85 


I  cannot  enumerate  all  the  appendages  of  this  wonderful  balloon — 
you  see  there  are  telescopes,  sails,  great  speaking-trumpets,  anchors, 
etc.  ;  but  I  will  merely  remark  that  it  was  never  constructed. 

One  of  the  safest,  and  sometimes  the  most  profitable,  methods  of 
using  a  balloon,  is  that  shown  in  the  picture,  "  Safe  Ballooning." 
Here  a  battle  is  going  on,  and  the  individuals  in  the  balloon,  safely 
watching  the  progress  of  events  and  the  movements  of  the  enemy, 
transmit  their  observations  to  the  army  with  which  they  are  connected. 
Of  course  the  men  on  the  ground  manage  a  balloon  of  this  sort,  and 
pull  it  around  to  any  point  that  they  please,  lowering  it  by  the  ropes 
when  the  observations  are  concluded.  Balloons  are  often  used  in 
warfare  in  this  manner. 

But  during  the  late  siege  of  Paris,  balloons  became  more  useful  than 
they  have  ever  been  since  their  invention.  A  great  many  aeronauts 
left  the  besieged  city,  floated  safely  over  the  Prussian  army,  and  de 
scended  in  friendly  localities.  Some  of  these  balloons  were  captured, 
but  they  generally  accomplished  their  purposes,  and  were  of  great 
service  to  the  French.  On  one  occasion,  however,  a  balloon  from 
Paris  was  driven  by  adverse  winds  to  the  ocean,  and  its  occupants 
were  drowned. 

It  has  not  been  one  hundred  years  since  the  balloon  was  invented 
by  the  brothers  Montgolfier,  of  France.  They  used  heated  air  in 
stead  of  gas,  and  their  balloons  were  of  course  inferior  to  those  of 
the  present  day.  But  we  have  not  improved  very  much  upon  the 
original  balloon,  and  what  progress  will  eventually  be  made  in  aerial 
navigation  it  is  difficult  to  prophesy.  But  there  are  persons  who  be 
lieve  that  in  time  air-ships  will  make  regular  trips  in  all  directions, 
like  our  present  steamboats  and  railroad-trains. 

If  this  is  ever  the  case,  I  hope  we  may  all  be  living  to  see  it. 


THE  HORSE  OF  ARABIA.  87 


THE  HORSE  OF  ARABIA. 

THE  Arabian  horse  has  long  been  celebrated  as  the  most  valuable 
of  his  race.  He  is  considered  an  aristocrat  among  horses,  and  only 
those  steeds  which  can  trace  their  descent  from  Arabian  ancestors 
have  the  right  to  be  called  "  thorough-bred." 

Occasionally  an  Arabian  horse  is  brought  to  this  country,  but  we 
do  not  often  see  them.  In  fact,  they  would  not  be  as  valuable  here 
as  those  horses  which,  besides  Arabian  descent,  have  also  other 
characteristics  which  especially  adapt  them  to  our  country  and  climate. 

In  Arabia  the  horse,  as  an  individual,  especially  if  he  happens  to 
be  of  the  purest  breed,  is  more  highly  prized  than  in  any  other  part 
of  the  world.  It  is  almost  impossible  to  buy  a  favorite  horse  from  an 
Arab,  and  even  if  he  can  be  induced  to  sell  it,  the  transaction  is  a  very 
complicated  one.  In  the  first  place,  all  the  relations  and  allies  of  the 
owner  must  give  their  consent,  for  the  parting  with  a  horse  to  a 
stranger  is  a  very  important  matter  with  them.  The  buyer  must 
then  make  himself  sure  that  the  whole  of  the  horse  belongs  to  the 
man  who  is  selling  him,  for  the  Arabs,  when  they  wish  to  raise  money, 
very  often  do  so  by  selling  to  a  member  of  their  tribe  a  fore-leg,  a 
hind-leg,  or  an  ear,  of  one  of  their  horses  ;  and  in  this  case,  the  per 
son  who  is  a  part  owner  of  the  animal  must  have  his  proportionate 
share  of  all  profits  which  may  arise  from  its  sale  or  use.  This  prac 
tice  is  very  much  like  our  method  of  mortgaging  our  lands. 

When  the  horse  is  finally  bought  and  paid  for,  it  had  better  be 
taken  away  as  soon  as  possible,  for  the  Arabs — even  those  who  have 
no  interest  whatever  in  the  sale — cannot  endure  to  see  a  horse  which 
once  belonged  to  their  tribe  passing  into  the  hands  of  strangers. 
And  therefore,  in  order  to  soothe  their  wounded  sensibilities,  they 


WAR   HORSE. 


THE  HORSE  OF  ARABIA.  89 

often  steal  the  animal,  if  they  can  get  a  chance,  before  the  buyer 
carries  him  out  of  their  reach. 

The  Arabian  horse  is  generally  much  more  intelligent  and  docile 
than  those  of  our  country.  But  this  is  not  altogether  on  account  of 
his  good  blood.  The  Arab  makes  a  friend  and  companion  of  his 
horse.  The  animal  so  constantly  associates  with  man,  is  talked  to  so 
much,  and  treated  so  kindly,  that  he  sometimes  shows  the  most  sur 
prising  intelligence.  He  will  follow  his  master  like  a  dog ;  come  at 
his  call ;  stand  anywhere  without  moving,  until  his  master  returns  to 
him.;  stop  instantly  if  his  rider  falls  from  his  back,  and  wait  until  he 
mounts  again  ;  and  it  has  been  said  that  an  Arabian  horse  has  been 
known  to  pick  up  his  wounded  master  from  the  field  of  battle,  and 
by  fastening  his  teeth  in  the  man's  clothes,  to  carry  him  to  a  place  of 
safety. 

There  is  no  doubt,  if  we  were  to  treat  our  horses  with  gentleness 
and  prudence,  and  in  a  measure  make  companions  of  them  when 
ever  it  was  possible,  that  they  would  come  to  regard  us  with  much 
of  the  affection  and  obedience  which  the  Arabian  horse  shows  to  "his 
master. 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


INDIAN  PUDDINGS:  PUMPKIN  PIES. 

SOME  of  the  good  old  folks  whom  I  well  remember,  called  these 
things  "  Ingin-puddins  and  punkin  pies,"  but  now  we  all  know  what 
very  incorrect  expressions  those  were.  But,  even  with  such  highly 
improper  names,  these  delicacies  tasted  quite  as  well  in  those  days 


INDIAN  PUDDINGS :  PUMPKIN  PIES.  91 

as  they  do  now,  and,  if  my  youthful  memory  does  not  mislead  me, 
they  tasted  a  little  better. 

There  is  no  stage  of  the  rise  and  progress  of  Indian  puddings  and 
pumpkin  pies,  with  which,  when  a  youngster,  I  was  not  familiar.  In 
the  very  beginning  of  things,  when  the  fields  were  being  ploughed, 
"  we  boys  "  were  there.  True,  we  went  with  no  intent  to  benefit 
either  the  corn-crop  or  the  pumpkin-vines.  We  merely  searched  in 
the  newly  turned-up  earth  for  fish-worms.  But  for  all  that,  we  were 
there. 

And  when  the  corn  was  all  planted,  how  zealous  we  used  to  be 
about  the  crows !  What  benevolent  but  idiotic  old  scarecrows  we 
used  to  construct,  and  how  extremely  anxious  we  were  to  be  intrusted 
with  guns,  that  we  might  disperse,  at  once  and  forever,  these  black 
marauders  !  For  well  we  knew  that  a  few  dead  crows,  stuck  up  here 
and  there  on  stakes,  would  frighten  away  all  the  rest  of  the  flock. 

But  we  were  not  allowed  the  guns,  and,  even  if  we  had  had  them, 
it  is  probable  that  the  crows  would  all  have  died  of  old  age,  had  they 
depended  for  an  early  death  upon  our  powder  and  shot.  With  their 
sagacity,  their  long  sight,  and  their  sentinels  posted  on  the  high  trees 
around  the  field,  they  were  not  likely  to  let  a  boy  with  a  gun  ap 
proach  very  near  to  them.  I  have  heard — and  have  no  doubt  of  the 
truth  of  the  statement — that  one  of  the  best  ways  to  shoot  crows  is 
to  go  after  them  in  a  wagon,  keeping  your  gun,  of  course,  as  much 
out  of  sight  as  possible.  Crows  seem  to  know  exactly  what  guns  are 
intended  for.  But  they  are  seldom  afraid  of  a  wagon.  They  expect 
no  danger  from  it,  and  one  can  frequently  drive  along  a  country  road 
while  crows  are  quietly  feeding  in  the  field  adjoining,  quite  close  to 
the  fence. 

But  if  any  one  goes  out  to  shoot  crows  in  this  way  he  had  better 
be  very  careful  that  he  has  an  excessively  mild  and  unimpressible 


92  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

horse.  For,  if  the  horse  is  frightened  at  the  report  of  the  gun,  and 
dashes  away,  and  smashes  the  wagon,  and  breaks  his  harness,  and 
spills  everything  out  of  the  wagon  into  the  dust,  mud,  and  bramble- 
bushes,  and  throws  the  gunner  heels  over  head  into  a  ditch,  it  may 
be  that  a  dead  crow  will  hardly  pay  him  for  his  trouble  and  expense 
in  procuring  it. 

But  after  a  time  the  corn  got  so  high  that  it  was  not  afraid  of  a  bird, 
and  then  we  forgot  the  crows.  But  we  liked  to  watch  the  corn  in  all 
its  stages.  We  kept  a  sharp  look-out  for  the  young  pumpkin-vines, 
and  were  glad  to  see  the  beans,  which  were  planted  in  the  hills  with 
the  corn  in  some  parts  of  the  field. 

There  is  one  great  advantage  in  a  corn-field  which  many  other 
fields  do  not  possess :  you  can  always  walk  in  it !  And  when  the 
corn  is  higher  than  your  head,  and  the  great  long  leaves  are  rustling 
in  the  wind,  and  you  can  hardly  see  each  other  a  dozen  yards  away, 
what  a  glorious  thing  it  is  to  wander  about  amidst  all  this  cool  green 
ness,  and  pick  out  the  biggest  and  the  fattest  ears  for  roasting  ! 

You  have  then  all  the  loveliness  of  Nature,  combined  with  the  hope 
of  a  future  joy,  which  Art — the  art  of  your  mother,  or  whoever  roasts 
the  corn — will  give  you. 

But  the  triumph  of  the  corn-field  is  not  yet.  The  transformation 
of  its  products  into  Indian  puddings  and  pumpkin  pies  will  not  occur 
until  the  golden  Autumn  days,  when  the  sun,  and  the  corn,  and  the 
pumpkins  are  all  yellow  alike,  and  gold — if  it  was  not  so  scarce — 
would  be  nothing  to  compare  to  any  of  them.  Then  come  the  men, 
with  their  corn-cutters — pieces  of  scythe-blades,  with  handles  fitted 
to  them — and  down  go  the  corn-stalks.  Only  one  crack  a-piece, 
and  sometimes  a  big  cut  will  slice  off  the  stalks  on  a  whole  hill. 

How  we  used  to  long  to  wield  those  corn-cutte  rs  ! 

But  our  parents  thought  too  much  of  our  legs. 


INDIAN  PUDDINGS:  PUMPKIN  PIES.  93 

When  the  corn  has  been  cut  and  carried  away,  the  pumpkins  are 
enough  to  astonish  anybody.  We  never  had  any  idea  that  there 
were  so  many ! 

At  last,  when  the  days  were  getting  short,  and  the  mornings  were 
a  little  cool,  and  the  corn  was  in  the  cribs,  and  the  pumpkins  were 
in  the  barn,  and  some  of  us  had  taken  a  grist  to  the  mill,  then  were 
the  days  of  the  pudding  of  Indian  corn  and  the  pies  of  pumpkin  ! 

Then  we  stayed  in  the  kitchen  and  saw  the  whole  delightful  process, 
from  the  first  mixing  of  the  yellow  meal  with  water,  and  the  first  cut 
into  the  round  pumpkins,  until  the  swelling  pudding  and  the  tranquil 
pie  emerged  in  hot  and  savory  grandeur  from  the  oven. 

It  is  of  no  use  to  expect  those  days  to  return.  It  is  easy  enough 
to  get  the  pies  and  the  puddings,  but  it  is  very  hard  to  be  a  boy 
again. 


94 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


LIVING  IN  SMOKE. 

HERE  is  a  mosquito  of  which  the  bravest  man  might  be  afraid ;  but, 
fortunately,  these  insects  are  not  found  quite  so  large  as  the  one  in 

the  drawing,  for  he  is   considerably   magni- 

\S    fied.     But  when  we  hear  even  a  very  small 
^         _M    /       fellow  buzzing  around  our  heads,  in  the  dark 
ness  of  a  summer  night,  we  are  very  apt  to 
think  that  he  sounds  as  if  he  were  at  least  as 
big  as  a  bat. 

In  some  parts  of  our  country,  mosquitoes 
are  at  certain  seasons  so  plentiful  and  blood 
thirsty  that  it  is  impossible  to  get  along  com 
fortably  in  their  company.  But,  except  in 
spots  where  no  one  would  be  likely  to  live, 
whether  there  were  mosquitoes  there  or  not, 

these  insects  do  not  exist  in  sufficient  numbers  to  cause  us  to  give 
up  our  ordinary  style  of  living  and  devote  all  our  energies  to  keep 
ing  them  at  a  distance. 

In  some  other  countries,  however,  the  people  are  not  so  fortunate. 
In  Senegal,  at  certain  seasons,  the  inhabitants  are  driven  from  their 
habitations  by  the  clouds  of  mosquitoes  which  spread  over  the  land, 
and  are  forced  to  take  refuge  on  high  platforms,  under  which  they 
keep  fires  continually  burning. 

The  smoke  from  these  fires  will  keep  away  the  mosquitoes,  but  it 
cannot  be  very  pleasant  to  the  Senegalians.  However,  they  become 
used  to  it,  and  during  the  worst  of  the  mosquito  season,  they  eat, 
drink,  sleep,  and  enjoy  themselves  to  the  best  of  their  ability  on  these 
platforms,  which  for  the  time  become  their  houses. 


NEGROES   OF   SENEGAL. 


96  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

It  would  probably  seem  to  most  of  us,  that  to  breathe  an  atmos 
phere  constantly  filled  with  smoke,  and  to  have  it  in  our  eyes  and 
noses  all  the  time,  would  be  almost  as  bad,  if  not  quite,  as  suffering 
the  stings  of  mosquitoes. 

But  then  we  do  not  know  anything  about  Senegalian  mosquitoes, 
and  the  accounts  which  Dr.  Livingstone  and  other  travellers  give  of 
the  insects  in  Africa,  ought  to  make  us  feel  pretty  sure  that  these 
woolly-headed  folks  on  the  platforms  know  what  is  good  for  them. 


THE  CANNON  OF  THE  PALAIS  ROYAL. 


97 


THE  CANNON  OF  THE  PALAIS  ROYAL. 

IN  the  Gardens  of  the  Palais  Royal,  in  Paris,  there  is  a  little  cannon 
which  stands  on  a  pedestal,  and  is  surrounded  by  a  railing.  Every 
day  it  is  loaded  with  powder  and  wadding,  but  no  one  on  earth  is 
allowed  to  fire  it  off.  However,  far  away  in  the  realms  of  space, 
ninety-five  millions  of  miles  from  our  world,  there  is  the  great  and 
glorious  Sun,  and  every  day,  at  twelve  o'clock,  he  fires  off  that  little 
cannon,  provided  there  are  no  clouds  in  the  way.  Just  before  noon 
on  bright  days,  the  people  gather  around  the  railing,  with  their 
watches  in  their  hands, — if  they  are  so  lucky  as  to  have  watches,— 
and  precisely  at  twelve  o'clock,  bang!  she  goes. 

The  arrangement  which   produces  this  novel  artillery-practice   is 
7 


98  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

very  simple.  A  burning-glass  is  fixed  over  the  cannon  in  such  a  man 
ner  that  when  the  sun  comes  to  the  meridian — which  it  does  every 
day  at  noon,  you  know — its  rays  are  concentrated  on  the  touch-hole, 
and  of  course  the  powder  is  ignited  and  the  cannon  is  fired. 

Most  boys  understand  the  power  of  a  burning-glass,  and  know  how 
easily  dry  grass  or  tinder,  or  a  piece  of  paper,  may  be  set  on  fire  by 
a  good  glass  when  the  sun  is  bright ;  but  they  would  find  it  very  diffi 
cult  to. place  a  glass  over  a  little  cannon  so  that  it  would  infallibly  be 
discharged  at  any  set  hour.  And  even  if  they  could  do  it,  they  would 
not  be  sure  of  their  cannon-clock  being  exactly  right,  for  the  sun  does 
not  keep  the  very  best  time.  He  varies  a  little,  and  there  is  a  differ 
ence  between  solar  time  and  true  time.  But  the  sun  is  always  near 
enough  right  for  all  ordinary  intents  and  purposes. 

I  know  boys — lazy  fellows — and  some  girls  of  the  same  sort,  for 
that  matter, — who,  if  they  could,  would  have,  just  outside  of  their 
school-doors,  one  of  the  largest  cannon,  which  should  go  off  every 
day  at  the  very  earliest  hour  at  which  school  would  let  out,  and  which 
should  make  such  a  tremendous  report  that  it  would  be  impossible  for 
the  teacher  to  overlook  the  time  and  keep  them  in  too  long. 

But  if  these  same  boys  and  girls  were  putting  up  a  cannon  to  go 
off  at  the  hour  when  school  commenced,  they  would  get  such  a  little 
one  that  it  wouldn't  frighten  a  mouse. 


WATERS,  DEEP  AND  SHALLOW. 


99 


WATERS,  DEEP  AND  SHALLOW. 

WITH  such  a  vast  subject  before  us  as  the  waters  of  our  beautiful 
world,  we  must  be  systematic.  So  we  will  at  first  confine  ourselves 
to  the  observation  of  pleasant  waters. 


Let  us  begin  at  the  beginning. 

This  pretty  little  spring,  with  its  cool  water  running  day  and  night 
into  the  old  barrel,  and  then  gurgling  over  the  staves,  flowing  away 
among  the  grass  and  flowers,  is  but  a  trifling  thing  perhaps,  and 
might  be  passed  with  but  little  notice  by  people  who  have  always 
lived  in  cities.  But  country-folks  know  how  to  value  a  cool,  unfailing 
spring.  In  the  hot  days  of  summer  the  thirsty  and  tired  farmer  would 
rather  see  that  spring  than  an  ice-cream  saloon.  Yes,  even  if  he  has 


ioo  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

nothing  to  drink  from  but  a  gourd,  which  may  be  lying  there  among 
the  stones.  He  may  have  a  tin-cup  with  him, — and  how  shocking ! 
he  may  drink  out  of  his  hands  !  But,  let  him  use  what  he  may,  he 
certainly  gets  a  most  delicious  drink. 

I  once  knew  a  little  girl  who  said  she  could  not  bear  spring- water ; 
she  did  not  think  it  was  clean,  coming  out  of  the  ground  in  that  way. 
I  asked  her  if  she  liked  well-water ;  but  she  thought  that  was  worse 
yet,  especially  when  it  was  hauled  up  in  old  buckets.  River-water 
she  would  not  even  consider,  for  that  was  too  nmch  exposed  to  all 
sorts  of  dirty  things  to  be  fit  to  drink.  I  then  wished  to  know  what 
kind  of  water  she  did  like,  and  she  answered,  readily  enough,  "  hy 
drant-water."  I  don't  know  where  she  imagined  hydrant-water  came 
from,  but  she  may  have  thought  it  was  manufactured,  by  some  clean 
process,  out  at  the  water-works. 

But  let  us  follow  this  little  stream  which  trickles  from  the  barrel. 
We  cannot  walk  by  its  banks  all  the  time,  for  it  winds  so  much  and 
runs  through  places  where  the  walking  is  very  bad ;  but  let  us  go 
across  the  fields  and  walk  a  mile  or  two  into  the  woods,  and  we  will 
meet  with  it  again.  Here  it  is  ! 

What  a  fine,  tumbling  stream  it  has  grown  to  be  now  !  It  is  even 
big  enough  to  have  a  bridge  over  it.  It  does  not  always  rush  so 
noisily  among  the  rocks ;  but  this  is  early  summer ;  there  has  been 
plenty  of  rain,  and  the  brook  is  full  and  strong.  Now,  then,  if  this 
is  a  trout  country,  we  ought  to  have  our  hooks  and  lines  with  us. 
Among  the  eddies  of  this  stream  we  might  find  many  a  nice  trout, 
and  if  we  were  only  successful  enough  to  catch  some  of  them  after  we 
had  found  them,  we  would  be  sure  of  a  reward  for  our  walk,  even  if 
the  beauty  of  the  scene  did  not  repay  us. 

But  let  us  go  on.     This  stream  does  not  stop  here. 

After  we  have  walked  a  mile  or  so  more,  we  find  that  our  noisy 


WATERS,  DEEP  AND  SHALLOW. 


101 


friend  has  quieted  down  very  much  indeed.  It  is  a  little  wider,  and  it 
may  be  it  is  a  little  deeper,  but  it  flows  along  very  placidly  between 
its  low  banks.  It  is  doubtful  if  we  should  find  any  trout  in  it  now, 
but  there  may  be  cat-fish  and  perch,  and  some  sun-fish  and  eels. 

And  now  the  stream  suddenly  spreads  out  widely.     It  is  a  little 
lake !     No,  it  is  only  a  mill-pond. 


IO2 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


Let  us  walk  around  and  come  out  in  front  of  the  mill. 
How  the  stream  has  diminished  again ! 

As  it  comes  out  of  the  mill-race  and  joins  itself  to  that  portion  which 
flows  over  the  dam,  it  is  a  considerable  creek,  to  be  sure,  but  it  looks 


very  small  compared  to  the  mill-pond.  But  what  it  wants  in  size  it 
makes  up  in  speed,  like  some  little  Morgan  horses  you  may  have  seen, 
and  it  goes  rushing  along  quite  rapidly  again.  Here,  now,  is  a  splen 
did  chance  to  catch  a  chub. 


WATERS,  DEEP  AND  SHALLOW.  103 

If  we  had  some  little  minnows  for  bait,  and  could  stand  on  the  bank 
there  to  the  left,  and  throw  our  lines  down  into  the  race,  we  ought  to 
be  able  to  hook  a  chub,  if  there  are  any  there,  and  I  think  it  is  very 
likely  that  there  are.  A  chub,  if  he  is  a  good-sized  fellow,  is  a  fish 
worth  catching,  even  for  people  who  have  been  fishing  for  trout. 
One  big  chub  will  make  a  meal  for  a  small  family. 

,But  let  us  follow  the  creek  and  see  what  new  developments  we  shall 
discover.  To  be  sure,  you  may  say  that  following  up  a  stream  from 
its  very  source  involves  a  great  deal  of  walking ;  but  I  can  answer 
with  certainty  that  a  great  deal  of  walking  is  a  very  easy  thing — in 
books ! 

So  on  we  go,  and  it  is  not  long  before  we  find  that  our  watery 
friend  has  ceased  to  be  a  creek,  and  is  quite  worthy  of  being  called  a 
fine  young  river.  But  still  it  is  scarcely  fit  yet  for  navigation.  There 
are  rocks  in  the  very  middle  of  the  stream,  and  every  now  and  then 
we  come  to  a  waterfall.  But  how  beautiful  some  of  those  cascades 
are ! 

What  a  delightful  thing  it  would  be,  on  a  warm  summer  evening, 
to  bathe  in  that  deliciously  cool  water.  It  is  deep  enough  for  a  good 
swim,  and,  if  any  of  us  want  a  shower-bath,  it  would  be  a  splendid 
thing  to  sit  on  the  rocks  and  let  the  spray  from  the  fall  dash  over  us  ! 
And  there  are  fish  here,  I  am  sure.  It  is  possible  that,  if  we  were  to 
sit  quietly  on  the  bank  and  fish,  we  might  soon  get  a  string  of  very 
nice  perch,  and  there  is  no  knowing  what  else.  This  stream  is  now 
just  about  big  enough  and  little  enough  to  make  the  character  of  its 
fish  doubtful.  I  have  known  pike — fellows  two  feet  long — caught  in 
such  streams  as  this ;  and  then  again,  in  other  small  rivers,  very  much 
like  it,  you  can  catch  nothing  but  cat-fish,  roach,  and  eels. 

If  we  were  to  follow  up  our  river,  we  would  soon  find  that  it  grew 
larger  and  larger,  until  row-boats  and  sloops,  and  then  schooners,  and 


104 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


perhaps  large  ships,  sailed  upon  its  surface.     And  at  last  we  might 
follow  it  down  to  its  mouth,  and,  if  it  happened  to  flow  into  the  sea, 


we  would  probably  behold  a  grand  scene.  Some  rivers  widen  so 
greatly  near  their  mouths  that  it  is  difficult  to  believe  that  they  are 
rivers  at  all. 

On  the  next  page  we  see  a  river  which,  at  its  junction  with  the 
ocean,  seems  almost  like  a  little  sea  itself. 


WATERS,  DEEP  AND  SHALLOW. 


105 


We  can  hardly  credit  the  fact  that  such  a  great  river  as  the  Ama 
zon  arose  from  a  little  spring,  where  you  might  span  the  body  of  the 
stream  with  your  hand.  But,  at  its  source,  there  is  no  doubt  just  such 
a  little  spring.  The  great  trouble,  however,  with  these  long  rivers,  is 


to  find  out  where  their  source  really  is.  There  are  so  many  brooks 
and  smaller  rivers  flowing  into  them  that  it  is  difficult  to  determine 
the  main  line.  You  know  that  we  have  never  settled  that  matter  in 
regard  to  the  Mississippi  and  Missouri.  There  are  many  who  main 
tain  that  the  source  of  the  Mississippi  is  to  be  found  at  the  head  of 
the  Missouri,  and  that  the  latter  is  the  main  river.  But  we  shall  not 
try  to  decide  any  questions  of  that  sort.  We  are  in  quest  of  pleas 
ant  waters,  not  difficult  questions. 


FALLS    OF   GAVARNI. 


WATERS,  DEEP  AND  SHALLOW.  107 

There  is  no  form  which  water  assumes  more  grand  and  beautiful 
than  the  cascade  or  waterfall.  And  these  are  of  very  varied  shapes 
and  sizes.  Some  of  the  most  beautiful  waterfalls  depend  for  their 
celebrity,  not  upon  their  height,  but  upon  their  graceful  forms  and  the 
scenery  by  which  they  are  surrounded,  while  others,  like  the  cascade 
of  Gavarni,  are  renowned  principally  for  their  great  height. 

There  we  see  a  comparatively  narrow  stream,  precipitating  itself 
down  the  side  of  an  enormous  precipice  in  the  Pyrenees.  Although 
it  appears  so  small  to  us,  it  is  really  a  considerable  stream,  and  as  it 
strikes  upon  the  jutting  rocks  and  dashes  off  into  showers  of  spray, 
it  is  truly  a  beautiful  sight. 

There  are  other  cascades  which  are  noted  for  a  vast  volume  of 
water.  Some  of  these  are  well  known,  but  there  is  one,  perhaps,  of 
which  you  have  never  heard. 

When  Dr.  Livingstone  was  travelling  in  Africa  he  was  asked  by 
some  of  the  natives  if  in  his  country  there  was  any  "  smoke  which 
sounds."  They  assured  him  that  such  a  thing  existed  in  their  neigh 
borhood,  although  some  of  them  did  not  seem  to  comprehend  the 
nature  of  it.  The  Doctor  soon  understood  that  their  remarks  referred 
to  a  waterfall,  and  so  he  took  a  journey  to  it.  When  he  came  within 
five  or  six  miles  of  the  cataract,  he  saw  five  columns  of  smoke  aris 
ing  in  the  air ;  but  when  he  reached  the  place  he  found  that  this  was 
not  smoke,  but  the  vapor  from  a  great  fall  in  the  river  Zambesi. 

These  falls  are  very  peculiar,  because  they  plunge  into  a  great  abyss, 
not  more  than  eighty  feet  wide,  and  over  three  hundred  feet  deep. 
Then  the  river  turns  and  flows,  for  many  miles,  at  the  bottom  of  this 
vast  crack  in  the  earth.  Dr.  Livingstone  thinks  these  falls  are  one 
of  the  wonders  of  the  world. 

There  is  no  doubt,  however,  about  the  king  of  cataracts.  That  is 
Niagara.  If  you  have  seen.it  you  can  understand  its  grandeur,  but 


io8 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


FALLS   OF  ZAMBESF. 


WATERS,  DEEP  AND  SHALLOW. 


109 


you  can  never  appreciate  it  from  a  written  description.  A  picture 
will  give  you  some  idea  of  it,  but  not  a  perfect  one,  by  any  means. 

The  Indians  called  these  falls  "  thundering  water,"  and  it  was  an 
admirable  title.  The  waters  thunder  over  the  great  precipice,  as  they 
have  done  for  thousands  of  years  before  we  were  born,  and  will  con 
tinue  to  do  thousands  of  years  after  we  are  dead. 

The  Falls  of  Niagara  are  divided  by  an  island  into  two  portions, 
called  the  Canadian  and  the  American  Falls.  This  island  lies  nearer 
to  the  United  States  shore  than  to  that  of  Canada.  Therefore  the 


American  Falls  are  the  smallest.     This  island  is  named  Goat  Island, 
and  you  have  a  good  view  of  it  in  the  picture. 

It  seems  as  if  the  resistless  torrent  would  some  day  tear  away 
this  lonely  promontory,  as  it  rushes  upon  and  around  it.  It  is  not 
unlikely  that  in  the  course  of  ages  the  island  may  be  carried  away. 


r  i o  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

Even  now,  portions  of  it  are  occasionally  torn  off  by  the  rush  of  the 
waters. 

You  can  cross  over  to  Goat  Island  by  means  of  a  bridge,  and  when 
there  you  can  go  down  under  the  falls.  Standing  in  what  is  called 
the  "  Cave  of  the  Winds,"  you  can  look  out  at  a  thick  curtain  of  water, 
from  eighteen  to  thirty  feet  thick,  pouring  down  from  the  rocks  above. 
This  curtain,  dark  and  glittering,  is  a  portion  of  the  great  falls. 

It  is  necessary  to  spend  days  at  Niagara  before  its  grandeur  can 
be  fully  appreciated.  But  we  must  pass  on  to  other  waters,  and  not 
tarry  at  this  glorious  cataract  until  we  are  carried  away  by  our 
subject. 

We  will  now  look  at,  for  a  short  time,  what  may  be  called  Profita 
ble  Waters.  The  waters  of  the  earth  are  profitable  in  so  many  ways 
that  it  would  be  impossible  for  us  to  consider  them  all.  But  we  will 
simply  glance  at  a  few  scenes,  where  we  can  easily  perceive  what 
advantages  man  derives  from  the  waters,  deep  or  shallow.  In  our 
own  country  there  is  no  more  common  method  of  making  a  living 
out  of  the  water  than  by  fishing  with  a  net. 

The  men  in  the  picture,  when  they  have  hauled  their  seine  to 
shore,  will  probably  find  as  good  a  reward  for  their  labor  as  if  they 
had  been  working  on  the  land  instead  of  in  the  river ;  and  if 
it  is  shad  for  which  they  are  fishing,  their  profits  will  probably  be 
greater. 

You  know  that  our  shad  fisheries  are  very  important  sources  of 
income  to  a  great  many  people.  And  the  oyster  fisheries  are  still 
more  valuable. 

When  we  mention  the  subject;  of  making  a  living  out  of  the  water, 
we  naturally  think  first  of  nets,  and  hooks  and  lines.  It  is  true  that 
mills,  and  steamships,  and  packet-lines,  and  manufactories,  are  far 
more  important ;  but  they  require  capital  as  well  as  water.  Men 


WATERS,  DEEP  AND  SHALLOW. 


in 


fish  all  over  the  world,  but  on  some  waters  vessels  or  saw-mills  are 
never  seen. 


The  styles  of  fishing,  however,  are  very  various.     Here  is  a  com 
pany  of  Africans,  fishing  with  javelins  or  spears. 

They  build  a  sort  of  platform  or  pier  out  into  the  river,  and  on 


112 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


this  they  stand,  with  their  spears  in  their  hands,  and  when  a  fish  is 
seen  swimming  in  the  water,  down  conies  the  sharp-pointed  javelin, 
which  seldom  misses  him.  Then  he  is  drawn  upon  the  platform 

by  means  of  the  cord 
which  is  fastened  to  the 
spear.  A  whole  family 
will  go  out  fishing  in 
this  way,  and  spend 
the  day  on  the  plat 
form.  Some  will  spear 
the  fish,  while  others 
will  clean  them,  and 
prepare  them  for  use. 
One  advantage  that  this 
party  possesses  is,  that 
if  any  of  them  should 
tumble  into  the  water, 
they  would  not  get  their 
clothes  wet. 

But  sometimes  it  will 
not  do  for  the  fisherman 
to  endeavor  to  draw  up 
the  treasures  of  the 
deep  while  he  remains 
at  the  surface  of  the 
water ;  very  often  he 
must  go  down  after 
them.  In  this  way  a 
great  many  of  the  most 
valuable  fisheries  are 


WATERS,  DEEP  AND  SHALLOW. 


conducted.  For  instance,  the  sponge-fishers  are  obliged  to  dive  down 
to  the  very  bottom  of  the  water,  and  tear  off  the  sponges  from  the 
rocks  to  which  they  fasten  themselves.  Some  of  the  most  valuable 
sponge-fisheries  are  on  the  coast  of  Syria,  and  you  may  here  see  how 
they  carry  on  their  operations. 


This  is  a  very  difficult  and  distressing  business  to  the  divers. 
They  have  to  remain  under  the  water  as  long  as  they  can  possibly 
hold  their  breath,  and  very  often  they  are  seriously  injured  by  their 
exertions  in  this  way.  But  when  we  use  the  sponges  we  never  think 
of  this.  And  if  we  did,  what  good  would  it  do  ?  All  over  the  world 
men  are  to  be  found  who  are  perfectly  willing  to  injure  their  health, 
provided  they  are  paid  for  it. 
8 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


The  pearl-fisheries  are  quite  as  disastrous  in  their  effects  upon  the 
divers  as  those  of  which  we  have  just  been  speaking. 

The  pearl-diver  descends  by  the  help  of  a  long  rope,  to  the  end  of 
which  is  attached  a  heavy  stone.  He  stands  on  the  stone,  holds  the 
rope  with  one  hand  and  his  nose  with  the  other,  and  quickly  sinks  to 
the  bottom.  Then  he  goes  to  work,  as  fast  as  he  can,  to  fill  a  net 
which  hangs  from  his  neck,  with  the  pearl-oysters.  When  he  can 
stay  down  no  longer,  the  net  and  stone  are  drawn  up  by  the  cord, 
and  he  rises  to  the  surface,  often  with  blood  running  from  his  nose 


and  ears.     But  then,  those  who  employ  them  sometimes  get  an  oyster 
with  as  fine  pearls  as  this  one  contains 


WATERS,  DEEP  AND  SHALLOW. 


It  is  .perfectly  possible,  however,  to  dive  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea 
with  very  valuable  results,  without  undergoing  all  this  terrible  injury 
and  suffering.  In  this  country  and  Europe  there  are  men  who,  clad 
in  what  is  called  submarine  armor,  will  go  to  the  bottom  of  a  river, 
or  bay,  or  the  sea, — where  it  is  not  very  deep — and  there  walk  about 
almost  as  comfortably  as  if  they  were  on  land.  Air  is  supplied  to 
them  by  long  pipes,  which  reach  to  the  surface,  and  these  divers  have 
been  made  very  useful  in  discovering  and  removing  wrecks,  recover 
ing  sunken  treasure,  and  in  many  other  ways. 

For  instance,  you  have  a  picture  of  some  divers  at  the  bottom  of 
the  port  of  Marseilles.  A  box  of  gold  had  fallen  from  a  steamship, 


and  the  next  day  these  two  men  went  down  after  it.  They  found  it; 
and  it  was  hauled  safely  to  the  surface  by  means  of  the  ropes  which 
they  attached  to  it. 


u6  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

You  see  how  strangely  they  are  dressed.  An  iron  helmet,  like  a 
great  iron  pot,  is  over  each  of  their  heads,  and  a  reservoir,  into  which 
the  air  is  pumped,  is  on  their  backs.  They  can  see  through  little 
windows  in  their  masks  or  helmets,  and  all  they  have  to  do  is  to  walk 
about  and  attend  to  their  business,  for  men  above  supply  them  with  a 
sufficiency  of  air  for  all  breathing  purposes,  by  means  of  an  air-pump 
and  a  long  flexible  tube. 

We  have  not  even  alluded  to  many  profitable  waters ;  we  have  said 
nothing  about  those  vast  seas  where  the  great  whale  is  found,  or  of 
the  waters  where  men  catch  the  valuable  little  sardine. 

We  have  not  mentioned  corals,  nor  said  anything  about  those  cod- 
fisheries,  which  are  considered  of  sufficient  importance,  sometimes,  to 
go  to  war  about.  But  these,  with  many  other  subjects  of  the  kind, 
we  must  leave  unnoticed,  while  we  cast  our  eyes  upon  some  Dan 
gerous  Waters. 

We  all  know  that  almost  any  water,  if  it  be  a  few  feet  deep,  is  dan 
gerous  at  certain  times  and  under  certain  conditions. 

The  creek,  which  in  its  deepest  parts  is  not  up  to  your  chin,  may 
be  the  death  of  you  if  you  venture  upon  it  in  winter,  when  the  ice  is 
thin,  and  you  break  through.  Without  help,  you  may  be  able  neither 
to  swim  out  or  climb  out. 

But  oceans  and  seas  are  the  waters  where  danger  may  nearly  always 
be  expected.  The  sea  may  be  as  smooth  as  glass,  the  skies  bright, 
and  not  a  breath  of  wind  be  stirring ;  or  a  gentle  breeze,  just  enough 
to  ripple  the  water,  may  send  our  vessel  slowly  before  it,  and  in  a  few 
hours  the  winds  may  be  roaring,  the  waves  dashing  into  the  air,  and 
the  skies  dark  with  storm-clouds. 

If  we  are  upon  a  large  and  strong  steamer,  we  may  perhaps  feel 
safe  enough  among  the  raging  waves ;  but  if  our  vessel  be  a  fishing- 
boat,  or  a  small  pleasure-craft,  we  have  good  reason  to  be  afraid. 


WATERS,  DEEP  AND  SHALLOW. 


Yet  many  a  little  sloop  like  this  rides  bravely  and  safely  through  the 

storms.  But  many  other  lit 
tle  vessels,  as  strong  and  as 
well  steered,  go  to  the  bot 
tom  of  the  ocean  every  year. 
If  the  sailor  escapes  severe 
storms,  or  sails  in  a  vessel 
which  is  so  stout  and  ably 
managed  as  to  bid  defiance 
to  the  angry  waves,  he  has 
other  dangers  in  his  path. 
He  may,  for  instance,  meet 
with  icebergs.  If  the  weather 
is  clear  and  the  wind  favora 
ble,  he  need  not  fear  these 
floating  mountains  of  ice. 
But  if  it  be  night,  or  foggy, 
and  he  cannot  see  them,  or 
if,  in  spite  of  all  his  endeav 
ors,  the  wind  drives  him  down  upon  them,  then  is  his  vessel  lost,  and, 
in  all  probability,  the  lives  of  all  upon  it.  Sometimes,  however,  the 
passengers  and  crew  may  escape  in  boats,  and  instances  have  been 
related  where  they  have  taken  refuge  on  the  iceberg  itself,  remaining 
there  until  rescued  by  a  passing  ship. 

But,  be  the  weather  fair  or  foul,  a  ship  is  generally  quick  to  leave 

the  company  of  so  dangerous  a  neighbor  as  an  iceberg.     Sometimes 

great  masses  of  ice  take  a  notion  to  topple  over,  and,  looking  at  the 

matter  in  what  light  you  please,  I  think  that  they  are  not  to  be  trusted. 

Then  there  is  the  hurricane ! 

A  large  ship  may  bravely  dare  the  dangers  of  an  ordinary  storm, 


ixS 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


but  nothing  that  floats  on  the  surface  of  the  water  can  be  safe  when 
a  whirlwind  passes  over  the  sea,  driving  everything  straight  before  it. 


Great  ships  are  tossed  about  like  playthings,  and  strong  masts  are 
snapped  off  as  if  they  had  been  made  of  glass. 

If  a  ship  is  then  near  a  coast,  her  crew  is  seldom  able,  if  the  wind 
blows  towards  the  land,  to  prevent  her  from  being  dashed  upon  the 
rocks ;  and  if  she  is  out  upon  the  open  sea,  she  is  often  utterly  dis 
abled  and  swallowed  up  by  the  waves. 

I  have  known  boys  who  thought  that  it  would  be  perfectly  delight- 


WATERS,  DEEP  AND  SHALLOW. 


119 


ful  to  be  shipwrecked.  They  felt  certain  that  they  would  be  cast 
(very  gently,  no  doubt)  upon  a  desert  island,  and  there  they  would 
find  everything  that  they  needed  to  support  life  and  make  them  com 
fortable  ;  and  what  they  did  not  get  there  they  would  obtain  from  the 
wreck  of  the  ship,  which  would  be  lying  on  the  rocks,  at  a  conveni 
ent  distance  from  the  shore.  And  once  on  that  island,  they  would 
be  their  own  masters,  and  would  not  have  to  go  to  school  or  do  any 
thing  which  did  not  please  them. 

This  is  the  good  old  Robinson  Crusoe  idea,  which  at  one  time  or 
another  runs  in  the  mind  of  nearly  every  boy,  and  many  girls,  too,  I 
expect ;  but  a  real  shipwreck  is  never  desired  the  second  time  by  any 
person  who  has  experienced  one. 

Sometimes,  even  when  the  crew  think  that  they  have  safely  battled 


120 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


through  the  storm,  and  have  anchored  in  a  secure  place,  the  waves 
dash  upon  the  vessel  with  such  force  that  the  anchor  drags,  the  masts, 
go  by  the  board,  and  the  great  ship,  with  the  hundreds  of  pale  faces 
that  crowd  her  deck,  is  dashed  on  the  great  rocks  which  loom  up  in 
the  distance. 


WATERS,  DEEP  AND  SHALLOW. 


121 


Among  other  dangers  of  the  ocean  are  those  great  tidal  waves, 
which  often  follow  or  accompany  earthquakes,  and  which  are  almost 
as  disastrous  to  those  living  upon  the  sea-coast  as  to  those  in  ships. 
Towns  have  been  nearly  destroyed  by  them,  hundreds  of  people 
drowned,  and  great  ships  swept  upon  the  land,  and  left  there  high 
and  dry.  In  tropical  latitudes  these  tremendous  upheavals  of  the 
ocean  appear  to  be  most  common,  but  they  are  known  in  all  regions 
which  are  subject  to  serious  shocks  of  earthquakes. 

Waterspouts  are  other  terrible  enemies  of  the  sailor.     These,  how 


ever  dangerous  they  may  be  when  they  approach  a  ship,  are  not  very 
common,  and  it  is  said  that  they  may  sometimes  be  entirely  dispersed 
by  firing  a  cannon-ball  into  the  midst  of  the  column  of  water.  This 


T22 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


statement  is  rather  doubtful,  for  many  instances  have  been  related 
where  the  ball  went  directly  through  the  water-spout  without  any 
effect  except  to  scatter  the  spray  in  every  direction.  I  have  no  doubt 
that  sailors  always  keep  as  far  away  from  water-spouts  as  they  can, 
and  place  very  little  reliance  on  their  artillery  for  their  safety. 

And  now,  have  you  had  enough  water  ? 

We  have  seen  how  the  waters  of  the  earth  may  be  enjoyed,  how 
they  may  be  made  profitable  to  us,  and  when  we  should  beware  of  them. 

But  before  we  leave  them,  I  wish  to  show  you,  at  the  very  end  of 
this  article,  something 
which  is  a  little  curi 
ous  in  its  appearance. 
Let  us  take  a  step 
down  to  the  very  bot 
tom  of  the  sea ;  not 
in  those  comparatively 
shallow  places,  where 
the  divers  descend  to 
look  for  wrecks  and 
treasure,  but  in  deep 
water,  miles  below  the 
surface.  Down  there, 
on  the  very  bottom, 
you  will  see  this  strange  thing.  What  do  you  suppose  it  is  ? 

It  is  not  an  animal,  or  a  fish,  or  a  stone,  or  shell.  But  plants  are 
growing  upon  it,  while  little  animals  and  fishes  are  sticking  fast  to  it, 
or  swimming  around  it.  It  is  not  very  thick — scarcely  an  inch — and 
we  do  not  see  much  of  it  here ;  but  it  stretches  thousands  of  miles. 
It  reaches  from  America  to  Europe,  and  it  is  an  Atlantic  Cable. 
There  is  nothing  in  the  water  more  wonderful  than  that. 


HANS,  THE  HERB-GATHERER. 


HANS,  THE  HERB-GATHERER. 

MANY  years  ago,  when  people  had  not  quite  so  much  sense  as  they 
have  now,  there  was  a  poor  widow  woman  who  was  sick.  I  do  not 
know  what  was  the  matter  with  her,  but  she  had  been  confined  to  her 
bed  for  a  long  time. 

She  had  no  doctor,  for  in  those  days  many  of  the  poor  people, 


1 24  RO  UNDABO  UT  RAMBLES. 

besides  having  but  little  money,  had  little  faith  in  a  regular  physician. 
They  would  rather  depend  upon  wonderful  herbs  and  simples,  which 
were  reported  to  have  a  sort  of  magical  power,  and  they  often  used 
to  resort  to  charms  and  secret  incantations  when  they  wished  to  be 
cured  of  disease. 

This  widow,  whose  name  was  Dame  Martha,  was  a  sensible  woman, 
in  the  main,  but  she  knew  very  little  about  sickness,  and  believed  that 
she  ought  to  do  pretty  much  as  her  neighbors  told  her.  And  so  she 
followed  their  advice,  and  got  no  better. 

There  was  an  old  man  in  the  neighborhood  named  Hans,  who 
made  it  a  regular  business  to  gather  herbs  and  roots  for  moral  and 
medical  purposes.  He  was  very  particular  as  to  time  and  place  when 
he  went  out  to  collect  his  remedies,  and  some  things  he  would  not 
touch  unless  he  found  them  growing  in  the  corner  of  a  churchyard — 
or  perhaps  under  a  gallows — and  other  plants  he  never  gathered 
unless  the  moon  was  in  its  first  quarter,  and  there  was  a  yellow 
streak  in  the  northwest,  about  a  half-hour  after  sunset.  He  had 
some  herbs  which  he  said  were  good  for  chills  and  feyer ;  others 
which  made  children  obedient;  others  which  caused  an  old  man's 
gray  hair  to  turn  black  and  his  teeth  to  grow  again — if  he  only  took 
it  long  enough ;  arid  he  had,  besides,  remedies  which  would  cure 
chickens  that  had  the  pip,  horses  that  kicked,  old  women  with  the 
rheumatism,  dogs  that  howled  at  the  moon,  boys  who  played  truant, 
and  cats  that  stole  milk. 

Now,  to  our  enlightened  minds  it  is  very  evident  that  this  Hans 
was  nothing  more  than  an  old  simpleton ;  but  it  is  very  doubtful  if  he 
thought  so  himself,  and  it  is  certain  that  his  neighbors  did  not.  They 
resorted  to  him  on  all  occasions  when  things  went  wrong  with  them, 
whether  it  was  the  butter  that  would  not  come  in  their  churns,  or  their 
little  babies  who  had  fevers. 


HANS,  THE  HERB-GATHERER.  125 

Therefore,  you  may  be  sure  that  Dame  Martha  sent  for  Hans  as 
soon  as  she  was  taken  ill,  and  for  about  a  year  or  so  she  had  been 
using  his  herbs,  making  plasters  of  his  roots,  putting  little  shells 
that  he  brought  under  her  pillow,  and  powwowing  three  times  a 
day  over  bunches  of  dried  weeds  ornamented  with  feathers  from  the 
tails  of  yellow  hens  that  had  died  of  old  age.  But  all  that  Hans 
could  do  for  her  was  of  no  manner  of  use.  In  vain  he  went  out  at 
night  with  his  lantern,  and  gathered  leaves  and  roots  in  the  most  par 
ticular  way.  Whether  the  moon  was  full  or  on  the  wane ;  whether 
the  tail  of  the  Great  Dipper  was  above  the  steeple  of  the  old  church, 
or  whether  it  had  not  yet  risen  as  high  as  the  roof;  whether  the  bats 
flew  to  the  east  or  the  west  when  he  first  saw  them ;  or  whether  the 
Jack  o'lanterns  sailed  near  the  ground  (when  they  were  carried  by  a 
little  Jack),  or  whether  they  were  high  (when  a  tall  Jack  bore  them), 
it  made  no  difference.  His  herbs  were  powerless,  and  Dame  Martha 
did  not  get  well. 

About  half  a  mile  from  the  widow's  cottage  there  lived  a  young 
girl  named  Patsey  Moore.  She  was  the  daughter  of  the  village 
Squire,  and  a  prettier  girl  or  a  better  one  than  Patsey  is  not  often 
met  with.  When  she  heard  of  Dame  Martha's  illness  she  some 
times  used  to  stop  at  the  cottage  on  her  way  to  school,  and  leave 
with  her  some  nice  little  thing  that  a  sick  person  might  like  to 
eat. 

One  day  in  spring,  when  the  fields  were  full  of  blossoms  and  the 
air  full  of  sunshine  and  delicious  odors,  Patsey  stopped  on  her  way 
from  school  to  gather  a  bunch  of  wild-flowers. 

They  grew  so  thickly  and  there  were  so  many  different  kinds,  that 
she  soon  had  a  bouquet  that  was  quite  fit  for  a  parlor.  On  her  way 
home  she  stopped  at  Dame  Martha's  cottage. 

"I  am  sorry,  Dame  Martha,"  said  she,. "that  I  have  nothing  nice 


126 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


for  you  to-day,  but  I  thought  perhaps  you  would  like  to  have  some 
flowers,  as  it's  Spring-time  and  you  can't  go  out." 


"  Indeed,  Miss  Patsey,"  said  the  sick  woman,  "  you  could'nt  have 
brought  me  anything  that  would  do  my  heart  more  good.  It's  like 
hearing  the  birds  sing  and  sittin'  under  the  hedges  in  the  blossoms, 
to  hear  you  talk  and  to  see  them  flowers." 

Patsey  was  very  much  pleased,  of  course,  at  this,  and  after  that 
she  brought  Dame  Martha  a  bouquet  every  day. 

And  soon  the  good  woman  looked  for  Patsey  and  her  beautiful 
flowers  as  longingly  and  eagerly  as  she  looked  for  the  rising  of  the  sun. 

Old  Hans  very  seldom  came  to  see  her  now,  and  she  took  no  more 
of  his  medicines.  It  was  of  no  use,  and  she  had  paid  him  every  penny 
that  she  had  to  spare,  besides  a  great  many  other  things  in  the  way 
of  little  odds  and  ends  that  lay  about  the  house.  But  when  Patsey 
stopped  in,  one  afternoon,  a  month  or  two  after  she  had  brought  the 
first  bunch  of  flowers,  she  said  to  the  widow  : 


HANS,  THE  HERB-GATHERER.  127 

"  Dame  Martha,  I  believe  you  are  a  great  deal  better." 

"Better!"  said  the  good  woman,  "I'll  tell  you  what  it  is,  Miss  Pat- 
sey,  I've  been  a  thinking  over  the  matter  a  deal  for  the  last  week,  and 
I've  been  a-trying  my  appetite,  and  a-trying  my  eyes,  and  a-trying 
how  I  could  walk  about,  and  work,  and  sew,  and  I  just  tell  you  what 
it  is,  Miss  Patsey,  I'm  well !  " 

And  so  it  was.  The  widow  was  well,  and  nobody  could  see  any 
reason  for  it,  except  good  Dame  Martha  herself.  She  always  per 
sisted  that  it  was  those  beautiful  bunches  of  flowers  that  Patsey  had 
brought  her  every  day. 

"Oh,  Miss  Patsey!"  she  said,  "  If  you'd  been  a-coming  to  me 
with  them  violets  and  buttercups,  instead  of  old  Hans  with  his  nasty 
bitter  yarbs,  I'd  a  been  off  that  bed  many  a  day  ago.  There  was 
nothing  but  darkness,  and  the  shadows  of  tomb-stones,  and  the  damp 
smells  of  the  lonely  bogs  about  his  roots  and  his  leaves.  But  there 
was  the  heavenly  sunshine  in  your  flowers,  Miss  Patsey,  and  I  could 
smell  the  sweet  fields,  when  I  looked  at  them,  and  hear  the  hum  of 
the  bees  ! " 

It  may  be  that  Dame  Martha  gave  a  little  too  much  credit  to  Patsey's 
flowers,  but  I  am  not  at  all  sure  about  it.  Certain  it  is,  that  the  daily 
visits  of  a  bright  young  girl,  with  her  heart  full  of  kindness  and  sym 
pathy,  and  her  hands  full  of  flowers  from  the  fragrant  fields,  would 
be  far  more  welcome  and  of  far  more  advantage  to  many  sick  cham 
bers  than  all  the  old  herb-gatherers  in  the  world,  with  their  bitter, 
grave-yard  roots,  and  their  rank,  evil-smelling  plants  that  grow  down 
in  the  swamps  among  the  frogs  and  snakes. 

Perhaps  you  know  some  sick  person.     Try  Patsey's  treatment 


128 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


SOME  CUNNING  INSECTS. 

WE  hear  such  wonderful  stories  about  the  sense  and  ingenuity  dis 
played  by  insects,  that  we  are  almost  led  to  the  belief  that  some  of 
them  must  have  a  little  reason — at  least  as  much  as  a  few  men  and 
women  that  we  know. 

Of  all  these  wise  insects,  there  is  none  with  more  intelligence  and 
cunning  than  the  ant.  How  many  astonishing  accounts  have  we  had 
of  these  little  creatures,  who  in  some  countries  build  great  houses, 
almost  large  enough  for  a  man  to  live  in ;  who  have  a  regular  form 
of  government,  and  classes  of  society — soldiers,  workers,  gentlemen 
and  ladies  ;  and  who,  as  some  naturalists  have  declared,  even  have 
handsome  funerals  on  the  occasion  of  the  death  of  a  queen  !  It  is 


SOME  CUNNING  INSECTS. 


129 


certain  that  they  build,  and  work,  and  pursue  their  various  occupa 
tions  according  to  systems  that  are  wisely  conceived  and  most  care 
fully  carried  out. 

Dr.  Ebrard,  who  wrote  a  book  about  ants  and  their  habits,  tells  a 
story  of  a  little  black  ant  who  was  building  an  arch  at  the  foundation 
of  a  new  ant-hill.  It  was  necessary  to  have  some  means  of  support 
ing  this  arch,  which  was  made  of  wet  mud,  until  the  key-stone  should 
be  put  in  and  all  made  secure.  The  ant  might  have  put  up  a  couple 
of  props,  but  this  is  not  their  habit  in  building.  Their  laws  say  noth 
ing  about  props.  But  the  arch  must  be  supported,  and  so  Mr.  Ant 
thought  that  it  would  be  a  good  idea  to  bend  down  a  tall  stalk  of 
wheat  which  grew  near  the  hill,  and  make  it  support  the  arch  until 
it  was  finished.  This  he  did  by  carrying  bits  of  wet  mud  up  to  the 
end  of  the  stalk  until  he  had 
piled  and  stuck  so  much 
upon  it  that  the  heavy  top 
bent  over.  But,  as  this 
was  not  yet  low  enough, 
and  more  mud  could  not  be 
put  on  the  slender  stem 
without  danger  of  break 
ing  it,  the  ant  crammed 
mud  in  between  the  stalk 
at  its  root  and  the  other 
stalks,  so  that  it  was  forced 
over  still  more.  Then  he  used  the  lowered  end  to  support  his  arch ! 

Some  other  ants  once  found  a  cockchafer's  wing,  which  they  thought 

would  be  a  capital  thing  to  dry  fpr  winter,  and  they  endeavored  to 

get  it  into  the  entrance  of  their  hill.     But  it  was  too  big.     So  they 

drew  it  out  and  made  the  hole  larger.     Then  they  tried  again,  but 

9 


'3° 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


the  wing  was  still  too  wide.  They  turned  it  and  made  several  effort? 
to  get  it  in  sideways,  and  upside  down,  but  it  was  impossible  ;  so 
they  lifted  it  away,  and  again  enlarged  the  hole.  But  the  wing  would 

not  yet  go  in.  Without 
losing  patience,  they  once 
more  went  to  work,  and, 
after  having  labored  for 
three  hours  and  a  half, 
they  at  last  had  the  plea 
sure  of  seeing  their  dried 
wing  safely  pulled  into  their  store-room. 

Then,  there  are  spiders.  They  frequently  show  the  greatest  skill 
and  cunning  in  the  construction  of  their  webs  and  the  capture  of 
their  prey,  and  naturalists  say  that  the  spider  has  a  very  well  deve 
loped  brain.  They  must  certainly  have  a  geometrical  talent,  or  they 
could  not  arrange  their 
webs  with  such  regu 
larity  and  scientific  ac 
curacy.  Some  spiders 
will  throw  their  webs 
across  streams  that  are 
quite  wide. 

Now,  to  do  this,  they 
must  show  themselves 
to  be  engineers  of  no 
small  ability.  Some 
times  they  fasten  one  end  of  a  thread  to  a  twig  on  one  side  of  the 
stream,  and,  hanging  on  the  other  end,  swing  over  until  they  can 
land  on  the  other  side.  But  this  is  not  always  possible,  for  they  can 
not,  in  some  places,  get  a  chance  for  a  fair  swing.  In  such  a  case, 


SOME  CUNNING  INSECTS. 


they  often  wait  until  the  wind  is  blowing  across  the  stream  from  the 
side  on  which  they  are,  and,  weaving  a  long  line,  they  let  it 
out  until  the  wind  carries  it  over  the  stream,  and  it  catches  in  the 
bushes  or  grass  on  the  other  side.  Of  course,  after  one  thread  is 
over,  the  spider  can  easily  run  backward  and  forward  on  it,  and  carry 
over  all  the  rest  of  his  lines. 

Bees  have  so  much  sense  that  we  ought  almost  to  beg  their  par 
don  when  we  speak  of  their  instinct.  Most  of  us  have  read  what 
Huber  and  others  have  told  us  of  their  plans,  inventions,  laws,  and 
regular  habits.  It  is  astonishing  to  read  of  a  bee-supervisor,  going 
the  round  of  the  cells  where  the  larvae  are  lying,  to  see  if  each  of 

them  has  enough  food. 
He  never  stops  until 
he  has  finished  his*  re 
view,  and  then  he  makes 
another  circuit,  deposit 
ing  in  each  cell  just 
enough  food — a  little  in 
this  one,  a  great  deal  in 
the  next,  and  so  on. 

There  were  once  some 
bees  who  were  very 
much  disturbed  by  a 
number  of  great  moths 
who  made  a  practice  of 
coming  into  their  hives 
and  stealing  their  honey. 

Do  what  they  could,  the  bees  could  not  drive  these  strong  creatures 
out. 

But  they  soon  hit  upon  a  plan  to  save  their  honey.     They  blocked 


I32 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


up  all  the  doors  of  the  hive  with  wax,  leaving  only  a  little  hole,  just 
big  enough  for  one  bee  to  enter  at  a  time.  Then  the  moths  were 
completely  dumbfounded,  and  gave  up  the  honey  business  in  despair. 
But  the  insect  to  which  the  epithet  of  cunning  may  be  best  ascribed, 
is,  I  think,  the  flea.  If  you  doubt  this,  try  to  catch  one.  What 
double  backsprings  he  will  turn,  what  fancy  dodges  he  will  execute, 
and  how,  at  last,  you  will  have  to  give  up  the  game  and  acknowledge 
yourself  beaten  by  this  little  gymnast ! 

But  fleas  have  been  taught  to  perform  their  tricks  of  strength  and 
activity  in  an  orderly  and  highly  proper  manner.  They  have  been 
trained  to  go  through  military  exercises,  carrying  little  sticks  for  guns ; 
to  work  and  pull  about  small  cannon,  although  the  accounts  say 
nothing  about  their  firing  them  off ;  and,  what  seems  the  most  won 
derful  of  all,  two  fleas  have  been  harnessed  to  a  little  coach  while 

another  one  sat  on  the 
box  and  drove  !  The 
whole  of  this  wonderful 
exhibition  was  so  small 
that  a  microscope  had 
to  be  used  in  order  to 
properly  observe  it. 

The  last  instance  of 
the  intelligence  of  in 
sects  which  I  will  give 
is  something  almost  too 
wonderful  to  believe,  and  yet  the  statement  is  made  by  a  Dr.  Lince- 
cum,  who  studied  the  habits  of  the  insect  in  question  for  twelve  years, 
and  his  investigations  were  published  in  the  Journal  of  the  Linna an 
Society.  Dr.  Lincecum  says,  that  in  Texas  there  is  an  ant  called  by 
him  the  Agricultural  Ant,  which  not  only  lays  up  stores  of  grain,  but 


SOME  CUNNING  INSECTS.  133 

prepares  the  soil  for  the  crop ;  plants  the  seed  (of  a  certain  plant 
called  ant-rice) ;  keeps  the  ground  free  from  weeds ;  and  finally 
reaps  the  harvest,  and  separating  the  chaff  from  the  grain,  packs 
away  the  latter,  and  throws  the  chaff  outside  of  the  plantation.  In 
"  Wood's  Bible  Animals,"  you  can  read  a  full  account  of  this  ant, 
and  I  think  that  after  hearing  of  its  exploits,  we  can  believe  almost 
anything  that  we  hear  about  the  intelligence  of  insects. 


'34 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


A  FIRST  SIGHT  OF  THE  SEA. 

IF  you  have  ever  seen  the  ocean,  you  will  understand  what  a  grand 
thing  it  is  to  look  for  the  first  time  upon  its  mighty  waters,  stretching 
away  into  .the  distance,  and  losing  themselves  in  the  clouds  and  sky. 
We  know  it  is  thousands  of  miles  over  to  the  other  shore,  but  for  all 
that  we  have  a  pretty  good  idea  of  that  shore.  We  know  its  name, 
and  have  read  about  the  people  who  live  there. 

But  when,  in  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  century,  Vasco  Nunez 
de  Balboa  stood  upon  the  shore  of  the  Pacific,  and  gazed  over  its 
boundless  waters,  the  sight  to  him  was  both  grand  and  mysterious. 
He  saw  that  a  vast  sea  lay  beneath  and  before  him — but  that  was  all 
he  knew.  Europeans  had  not  visited  it  before,  and  the  Indians,  who 


A  FIRST  SIGHT  OF  THE  SEA.  135 


had  acted  as  his  guides,  knew  but  little  about  it.  If  he  had  de 
sired  to  sail  across  those  vast  blue  waters,  Balboa  would  have  had 
no  idea  upon  what  shores  he  would  land  or  what  wonderful  countries 
and  continents  he  would  discover. 

Now-a-days,  any  school-boy  could  tell  that  proud,  brave  soldier, 
what  lay  beyond  those  billows.  Supposing  little  Johnny  Green  (we 
all  know  him,  don't  we?)  had  been  there,  how  quickly  he  would" have 
settled  matters  for  the  Spanish  chieftain. 

"  Ah,  Mr.  Balboa,"  Johnny  would  have  said,  "  you  want  to  know 
what  lies  off  in  that  direction — straight  across  ?  Well,  I  can  tell  you, 
sir.  If  you  are  standing,  as  I  think  you  are,  on  a  point  of  the  Isthmus 
of  Darien,  where  you  can  look  directly  westward,  you  may  cast  your 
eyes,  as  far  as  they  will  go,  over  a  body  of  water,  which,  at  this 
point,  is  about  eleven  thousand  miles  wide.  No  wonder  you  jump, 
sir,  but  such  is  the  fact.  If  you  were  to  sail  directly  west  upon  this 
ocean  you  would  have  a  very  long  passage  before  you  came  upon 
any  land  at  all,  and  the  first  place  which  you  would  reach,  if  you  kept 
straight  on  your  westward  course,  would  be  the  Mulgrave  Islands. 
But  you  would  have  passed  about  seven  or  eight  hundred  miles  to 
the  southward  of  the  Sandwich  Islands,  which  are  a  very  important 
group,  where  there  is  an  enormous  volcano,  and  where  Captain  Cook 
will  be  killed  in  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  years.  If  you  then 
keep  on,  you  will  pass  among  the  Caroline  Islands,  which  your  coun 
trymen  will  claim  some ;  day  and  if  you  are  not  eaten  up  by  the 
natives,  who  will  no  doubt  coax  you  to  land  on  some  of  their  islands 
and  will  then  have  you  for  supper,  you  will  at  last  reach  the  Philippine 
Islands,  and  will  probably  land,  for  a  time,  at  Mindanao,  to  get  water 
and  things.  Then,  if  you  still  keep  on,  you  will  pass  to  the  north  of 
a  big  island,  which  is  Borneo,  and  will  sail  right  up  to  the  first  land 
to  the  west,  which  will  be  part  of  a  continent;  or  else  you  will 


136 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


go  down  around  a  peninsula,  which  lies  directly  in  your  course,  and 
sail  upon  the  other  side  of  it,  into  a  great  gulf,  and  land  anywhere 
you  please.  Do  you  know  where  you  will  be  then,  Mr.  Balboa  ? 
Don't,  eh?  Well,  sir,  you  would  be  just  where  Columbus  hoped  he 
would  be,  when  he  reached  the  end  of  his  great  voyage  across  the 
Atlantic — in  the  Indies  !  Yes,  sir,  all  among  the  gold,  and  ivory,  and 
spices,  and  elephants  and  other  things ! 

"  If  you  can  get  any  ships  here  and  will  start  off  and  steer  carefully 
among  the  islands,  you  won't  find  anything  in  your  way  until  you  get 
there.  But,  it  was  different  with  Columbus,  you  see,  sir.  He  had 
a  whole  continent  blocking  up  his  road  to  the  Indies;  but,  for  my 
part,  I'm  very  glad,  for  various  reasons,  that  it  happened  so." 

It  is  probable  that 
if  Johnny  Green  could 
have  delivered  this  lit 
tle  speech,  that  Vasco 
Nunez  de  Balboa  would 
have  been  one  of  the 
most  astonished  men  in 
the  world ! 

Whether  he  and  his 
fellow-adventurers  would 
ever  have  set  out  to  sail 
over  those  blue  waters, 
in  search  of  the  treasures 
of  the  East,  is  more  than 
I  can  say,  but  it  is  certain 
that  if  he  had  started  off 
on  such  an  expedition,  he  would  have  found  things  pretty  much  as 
Johnny  Green  had  told  him. 


THE  LARGEST  CHURCH  IN  THE  WORLD. 


137 


THE  LARGEST  CHURCH  IN  THE  WORLD. 

THIS  is  St.  Peter's  at  Rome.  Is  it  possible  to  look  upon  such  a 
magnificent  edifice  without  acknowledging  it  as  the  grandest  of  all 
churches  ?  There  are  some  others  in  the  world  more  beautiful,  and 
some  more  architecturally  perfect ;  but  there  is  none  so  vast,  so  im 
pressive,  so  grand ! 

This  great  building  was  commenced  in  1506,  but  it  was  a  century 
and  a  half  before  it  was  finished.  Among  other  great  architects, 
Michael  Angelo  assisted  in  its  construction.  The  building  is  esti 
mated  to  have  cost,  simply  for  its  erection,  about  fifty  millions  of  dol 
lars,  and  it  has  cost  a  great  deal  in  addition  in  later  years. 

Its  dimensions  are  enormous.    You  cannot  understand  what  a  great 


'38 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


building  it  is  unless  you  could  see  it  side  by  side  with  some  house  or 
church  with  which  you  are  familiar.  Several  of  the  largest  churches 
in  this  country  could  be  stood  up  inside  of  St.  Peter's  without  touch 
ing  walls  or  roof,  or  crowding  each  other  in  the  least. 

There  are  but  three  works  of  man  in  the  whole  world  which  are 
higher  than  the  little  knob  which  you  see  on  the  cupola  surmounting 
the  great  dome  of  St.  Peter's.  These  more  lofty  buildings  are  the 
Great  Pyramid  of  Egypt,  the  Spire  of  Strasbourg,  and  the  Tower  of 
Amiens.  The  highest  of  these,  the  pyramid,  is,  however,  only  forty- 


two  feet  above  St.  Peter's.     The  great  dome  is  supported  by  four 
pillars,  each  of  which  is  seventy  feet  thick ! 

But  let  us  step  inside  of  this  great  edifice.     I  think  you  will  be 


THE  LARGEST  CHURCH  JN  THE  WORLD.  139 

there  even  more  impressed  with  its  height  and  extent  than  you  were 
when  you  stood  on  the  outside. 

Is  not  here  a  vast  and  lofty  expanse  ?  But  even  from  this  favora 
ble  point  you  cannot  get  a  complete  view  of  the  interior.  In  front  of 
you,  you  see  in  the  distance  the  light  striking  down  from  above. 
There  is  the  great  dome,  and  when  you  walk  beneath  it  you  will  be 
amazed  at  its  enormous  height.  There  are  four  great  halls  like  this 
one  directly  before  us,  for  the  church  is  built  in  the  form  of  a  cross, 
with  the  dome  at  the  intersection  of  the  arms.  There  are  also  open 
ings  in  various  directions,  which  lead  into  what  are  called  chapels, 
but  which  are  in  reality  as  large  as  ordinary  sized  churches. 

The  pavement  of  the  whole  edifice  is  made  of  colored  marble,  and, 
as  you  see,  the  interior  is  heavily  decorated  with  carving  and  statuary. 
Much  of  this  is  bronze  and  gold. 

But  if  you  should  mount  (and  there  are  stairs  by  which  you  may 
make  the  ascent)  into  the  cupola  at  the  top  of  the  dome,  and  look 
down  into  the'  vast  church,  and  see  the  people  crawling  about  like 
little  insects  so  far  below  you,  you  would  perhaps  understand  better 
than  at  any  other  time  that  it  is  not  at  all  surprising  that  this  church 
should  be  one  of  the  wonders  of  the  world. 

If  we  ever  go  to  Europe,  we  must  not  fail  to  see  St.  Peter's  Church 
at  Rome. 


i4o  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


THE  SOFT  PLACE. 

THERE  was  once  a  young  Jaguar  (he  was  very  intimately  related  to 
the  Panther  family,  as  you  may  remember),  and  he  sat  upon  a  bit  of 
hard  rock,  and  cogitated.  The  subject  of  his  reflections  was  very 
simple  indeed,  for  it  was  nothing  more  nor  less  than  this — where 
should  he  get  his  supper  ? 

He  would  not  have  cared  so  much  for  his  supper,  if  it  had  been 
that  he  had  had  no  dinner,  and  even  this  would  not  have  made  so 
much  difference  if  he  had  had  his  breakfast.  But  in  truth  he  had 
eaten  nothing  all  day. 

During  the  summer  of  that  year  the  meat-markets  in  that  section 
of  the  country  were  remarkably  bad.  It  was  sometimes  difficult  for 
a  panther  or  a  wildcat  to  find  enough  food  to  keep  her  family  at  all 
decently,  and  there  were  cases  of  great  destitution.  In  years  before 
there  had  been  plenty  of  deer,  wild  turkey,  raccoons,  and  all  sorts  of 
good  things,  but  they  were  very  scarce  now.  This  was  not  the  first 
time  that  our  young  Jaguar  had  gone  hungry  for  a  whole  day. 

While  he  thus  sat,  wondering  where  he  should  go  to  get  some 
thing  to  eat,  he  fell  asleep,  and  had  a  dream.  And  this  is  what  he 
dreamed. 

He  dreamed  that  he  saw  on  the  grass  beneath  the  rock  where  he 
was  lying  five  fat  young  deer.  Three  of  them  were  sisters,  and  the 
other  two  were  cousins.  They  were  discussing  the  propriety  of  tak 
ing  a  nap  on  the  grass  by  the  river-bank,  and  one  of  them  had  already 
stretched  herself  out.  "Now,"  thought  the  Jaguar  in  his  dream, 
"  shall  I  wait  until  they  all  go  to  sleep,  and  then  pounce  down  softly 
and  kill  them  all,  or  shall  I  spring  on  that  one  on  the  ground  and 
make  sure  of  a  good  supper  at  any  rate  ? "  While  he  was  thus  delib- 


THE  SOFT  PLACE. 


141 


crating  in  his  mind  which  it  would  be  best  for  him  to  do,  the  oldest 
cousin  cocked  up  her  ears  as  if  she  heard  something,  and  just  as  the 
Jaguar  was  going  to  make  a  big  spring  and  get  one  out  of  the  family 
before  they  took  to  their  heels,  he  woke  up ! 


What  a  dreadful  disappointment  i  Not  a  deer,  or  a  sign  of  one,  to 
be  seen,  and  nothing  living  within  a  mile.  But  no  !  There  is  some 
thing  moving !  It  is — yes,  it  is  a  big  Alligator,  lying  down  there  on 
the  rocks  !  After  looking  for  a  few  minutes  with  disgust  at  the  ugly 
creature,  the  Jaguar  said  to  himself,  "  He  must  have  come  on  shore 
while  I  was  asleep.  But  what  matters  it!  An  Alligator!  Very  dif- 


142 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


ferent  indeed  from  five  fat  young  deer !  Ah  me  !  I  wish  he  had  not 
that  great  horny  skin,  and  I'd  see  if  I  could  make  a  supper  off  of  him. 
Let  me  see !  There  is  a  soft  place,  as  .I've  been  told,  about  the  alli 
gator  !  If  I  could  but  manage  and  get  a  grip  of  that,  I  think  that  I 
could  settle  old  Mr.  Hardskin,  in  spite  of  his  long  teeth.  I've  a  mind 
and  a  half  to  try.  Yes,  I'll  do  it  \ " 

So  saying,  the  Jaguar  settled  himself  down  as  flat  as  he  could  and 
crept  a  little  nearer  to  the  Alligator,  and  then,  with  a  tremendous 
spring,  he  threw  himself  upon  him.  The  Alligator  was  asleep,  but 


his  nap  came  to  a  very  sudden  close,  you  may  be  sure,  and  he  opened 
his  eyes  and  his  mouth  both  at  the  same  time.  But  he  soon  found 
that  lie  would  have  to  bestir  himself  in  a  very  lively  manner,  for  a 


THE  SOFT  PLACE.  143 


strong  and  hungry  Jaguar  had  got  hold  of  him.  It  had  never  before 
entered  into  the  Alligator's  head  that  anybody  would  want  to  eat  him. 
but  he  did  not  stop  to  think  about  this,  but  immediately  went  to  work 
to  defend  himself  with  all  his  might.  He  lashed  his  great  tail  around, 
he  snapped  his  mighty  jaws  at  his  enemy,  and  he  made  the  dust  fly 
renerally.  But  it  all  seemed  of  little  use.  The  Jaguar  had  fixed 
lis  teeth  in  a  certain  soft  place  in  his  chest,  under  his  foreleg,  and 
there  he  hung  on  like  grim  death.  The  Alligator  could  not  get  at 
him  with  his  tail,  nor  could  he  turn  his  head  around  so  as  to  get  a 
good  bite. 

The  Alligator  had  been  in  a  hard  case  all  his  life,  but  he  really 
thought  that  this  surprising  conduct  of  the  Jaguar  was  something 
worse  than  anything  he  had  ever  been  called  upon  to  bear. 

"  Does  he  really  think,  I  wonder,"  said  the  Alligator  to  himself, 
"  that  he  is  going  to  have  me  for  his  supper?  " 

It  certainly  looked  very  much  as  if  Mr.  Jaguar  had  that  idea,  and 
as  if  he  would  be  able  to  carry  out  his  intention,  for  he  was  so  charm 
ed  at  having  discovered  the  soft  place  of  which  he  had  so  often  been 
told  that  he  resolved  never  to  let  go  until  his  victim  was  dead ;  and 
in  the  midst  of  the  struggle  he  could  not  but  regret  that  he  had  never 
thought  of  hunting  Alligators  before. 

As  it  may  well  be  imagined,  the  Alligator  soon  began  to  be  very 
tired  of  this  sort  of  thing.  He  could  do  nothing  at  all  to  damage  his 
antagonist,  and  the  Jaguar  hurt  him,  keeping  his  teeth  jammed  into 
the  very  tenderest  spot  in  his  whole  body.  So  he  came  to  the  con-, 
elusion  that,  if  he  could  do  nothing  else,  he  would  go  home.  If  the 
Jaguar  chose  to  follow  him,  he  could  not  help  it,  of  course.  So, 
gradually,  he  pulled  himself,  Jaguar  and  all,  down  to  the  river,  and, 
as  the  banks  sloped  quite  suddenly  at  this  place,  he  soon  plunged  into 
deep  water,  with  his  blood-thirsty  enemy  still  hanging  fiercely  to  him. 


144  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

As  soon  as  he  found  himself  in  the  water,  the  Alligator  rolled  him 
self  over  and  got  on  top.  Then  they  both  sank  down,  and  there 
was  nothing  seen  on  the  surface  of  the  water  but  bubbles. 

The  fight  did  not  last  very  long  after  this,  but  the  Jaguar  succeeded 
perfectly  in  his  intentions.  He  found  a  soft  place — in  the  mud  at  the 
bottom  of  the  river — and  he  stayed  there. 


"AT   HOME  AND  ON  THE  WING." 


146  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


A  FEW  FEATHERED  FRIENDS. 

WHETHER  dressed  in  broadcloth,  silk,  calico,  home-spun,  or  feath 
ers,  friends  are  such  valuable  possessions  that  we  must  pay  these 
folks  who  are  now  announced  as  much  attention  as  possible.  And 
if  we  do  this  and  in  every  way  endeavor  to  make  them  feel  comfort 
able  and  entirely  at  home,  we  will  soon  perceive  a  very  great  differ 
ence  between  them  and  many  of  our  friends  who  dress  in  coats  and 
frocks.  For  the  more  we  do  for  our  feathered  friends,  the  more  they 
will  do  for  us.  Now,  you  can't  say  that  of  all  the  men  and  women 
and  boys  and  girls  that  you  know.  I  wish  most  sincerely  that  you 
could. 

The  first  family  who  calls  upon  us  (and  the  head  of  this  family 
makes  the. very  earliest  calls  that  I  know  anything  about)  are  too 
well  known  to  all  of  us  to  need  the  slightest  introduction.  You  will 
see  in  an  instant  that  you  have  met  them  before. 

And  there  is  no  doubt  but  that  these  are  among  the  very  best 
feathered  friends  we  have.  Those  hens  are  liberal  with  their  eggs, 
and  those  little  chickens  that  are  running  around  like  two-legged 
puff-balls,  are  so  willing  to  grow  up  and  be  broiled  and  roasted  and 
stewed,  that  it  would  now  be  almost  impossible  for  us  to  do  without 
them.  Eggs  seem  to  come  into  use  on  so  many  occasions  that,  if 
there  was  to  be  an  egg-famine,  it  would  make  itself  felt  in  every  fam 
ily  in  the  land.  Not  only  would  we  miss  them  when  boiled,  fried, 
and  cooked  in  omelets  for  breakfast ;  not  only  without  them  would 
ham  seem  lonely,  puddings  and  sponge-cakes  go  into  decline,  and 
pound-cake  utterly  die,  but  the  arts  and  manufactures  of  the  whole 
country  would  feel  the  deprivation.  Merely  in  the  photographic  busi 
ness  hundreds  of  thousands  of  eggs  are  needed  every  year,  from  which 


A  FEW  FEATHERED  FRIENDS. 


to  procure  the  albumen  used  in  the  preparation  of  photographic 
paper. 


Do  without  eggs  ?     Impossible. 

And  to  do  without  "  chicken "  for  dinner  would  seem  almost  as 
impossible  for  some  folks.  To  be  sure,  we  might  live  along  very 
comfortably  without  those  delightful  broils,  and  roasts,  and  fricassees, 
but  it  would  be  a  great  pity.  And,  if  we  live  in  the  country,  there  is 
no  meat  which  is  so  cheap  and  easily  procured  all  the  year  round  as 


i48  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

chicken.  I  wonder  what  country-people  would  do,  especially  in  the 
summer  time,  when  they  have  little  other  fresh  meat,  without  their 
chickens.  Very  badly,  I  imagine. 

Next  to  these  good  old  friends  comes  the  pigeon  family.     These 
are  very  intimate  with  many  of  us. 


Pigeons  are  in  one  respect  even  more  closely  associated  with  man 
than  the  domestic  fowls,  because  they  live  with  him  as  readily  in 
cities  as  in  the  country.  City  chickens  always  seem  out  of  place,  but 
city  pigeons  are  as  much  at  home  as  anybody  else.  There  are  few 
houses  so  small  that  there  is  not  room  somewhere  for  a  pigeon-box, 
and  there  are  no  roofs  or  yards  so  humble  that  the  handsomest  and 
proudest  "pouters"  and  "tumblers"  and  "fan-tails"  will  not  willingly 
come  and  strut  and  coo  about  them  as  long  as  they  receive  good 
treatment  and  plenty  of  food. 


A  FEW  FEATHERED  FRIENDS. 


149 


But  apart  from  the  pleasure  and  profit  which  these  beautiful  birds 
ordinarily  afford  to  their  owners,  some  of  them — the  carriers — are 
often  of  the  greatest  value,  and  perform  important  business  that  would 
have  to  be  left  undone  if  it  were  not  for  them.  The  late  war  in 
France  has  fully  proved  this.  I  remember  hearing  persons  say  that 
now,  since  telegraph  lines  had  become  so  common,  they  supposed 
carrier-pigeons  would  no  longer  be  held  in  esteem,  and  that  the  breed 
would  be  suffered  to  die  out. 


| 


But  that  is  a  mistake.  There  are  times,  especially  during  wars, 
when  telegraphic  and  railroad  lines  are  utterly  useless,  and  then  the 
carrier-pigeon  remains  master  of  the  situation. 

The  doves  are  such  near  relations  of  the  pigeons  that  we  might 
suppose  they  would  resemble  them  in  their  character  as  much  as  in 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


appearance.  But  they  are  not  very  much  alike.  Doves  are  not  am 
bitious  ;  they  don't  pout,  or  tumble,  or  have  fan-tails.  As  to  carry 
ing  messages,  or  doing  anything  to  give  themselves  renown,  they 
never  think  of  it.  They  are  content  to  be  affectionate  and  happy. 

And  that  is  a  great  deal.  If  they  did  nothing  all  their  lives  but  set 
examples  to  children  (and  to  their  parents  also,  sometimes),  the  doves 
would  be  among  our  most  useful  little  birds. 

I  suppose  we  all  have  some  friends  whom  we  are  always  glad  to 
see,  even  if  they  are  of  no  particular  service  to  us.  And  this  is  right ; 
we  should  not  value  people's  society  in  exact  proportion  to  what  we 
think  we  can  get  out  of  them.  Now,  the  swan  is  a  feathered  friend, 
and  a  good  one,  but  I  must  say  he  is  of  very  little  practical  use  to  us. 


But  there  is  something  more  to  be  desired  than  victuals,  clothes, 
feather-beds,  and  Easter-eggs.  We  should  love  the  beautiful  as  well 
as  the  useful.  Not  so  much,  to  be  sure,  but  still  very  much.  The 
boy  or  man  who  despises  a  rose  because  it  is  not  a  cabbage  is  much 


A  FEW  FEA  THE  RED  FRIENDS.  1 5 1 

more  nearly  related  to  the  cows  and  hogs  than  he  imagines.  If  we 
accustom  ourselves  to  look  for  beauty,  and  enjoy  it,  we  will  find  it, 
after  awhile,  where  we  never  supposed  it  existed — in  the  caterpillar, 
for  instance,  and  in  the  snakes.  There  is  beauty  as  well  as  practical 
value  in  almost  everything  around  us,  and  we  are  not  the  lords  of 
creation  that  we  suppose  we  are,  unless  we  are  able  to  see  it. 

Now,  then,  I  have  preached  you  a  little  sermon,  with  the  swans  for 
a  text.  But  they  are  certainly  beautiful  subjects. 

A  goose,  when  it  is  swimming,  is  a  very  handsome  bird,  and  it  is 
most  admirable  when  it  appears  on  the  table  roasted  of  a  delightful 
brown,  with  a  dish  of  apple-sauce  to  keep  it  company.  But,  for  some 
reason,  the  goose  has  never  been  treated  with  proper  consideration. 
It  has  for  hundreds  of  years,  I  expect,  been  considered  as  a  silly  bird. 
But  there  never  was  a  greater  mistake.  If  we  looked  at  the  thing  in 
the  proper  light,  we  would  not  be  at  all  ashamed  to  be  called  a  goose. 
If  any  one  were  to  call  you  an  ostrich,  I  don't  believe  you  would  be 
very  angry,  but  in  reality  it  would  be  much  more  of  an  insult  than  to 
call  you  a  goose,  for  an  ostrich  at  times  is  a  very  silly  bird. 

But  geese  have  been  known  to  do  as  many  sensible  things  as  any 
feathered  creatures  of  which  we  know  anything.  I  am  not  going  to 
say  anything  about  the  geese  which  saved  Rome,  for  we  have  no 
record  that  they  intended  to  do  anything  of  the  kind ;  but  I  will  in 
stance  the  case  of  a  goose  which  belonged  to  an  old  blind  woman, 
who  lived  in  Germany. 

Every  Sunday  these  two  friends  used  to  go  to  church  together,  the 
goose  carefully  leading  the  old  woman  by  her  frock. 

When  they  reached  the  church,  the  goose  would  lead  his  mistress 
to  her  seat  and  then  go  outside  and  eat  grass  until  the  services  were 
over.  When  the  people  began  to  come  out  the  goose  would  go  in, 
and,  taking  the  old  woman  in  charge,  would  lead  her  home.  At  other 


R 0 UND ABOUT  RAMBLES. 


times  also  he  was  the  companion  of  her  walks,  and  her  family  knew 

that  old  blind  Grandmother  was  all  right 
if  she  had  the  goose  with  her  when  she 
went  out.  » 

There  was  another  goose,  in  a  town 
in  Scotland,  who  had  a  great  attachment 
for  a  young  gentleman  to  whom  she  be 
longed.  She  would  follow  him  in  his 
walks  about  the  town,  and  always  testi 
fied  her  delight  when  she  saw  him  start 
for  a  ramble. 

When  he  went  into  a  barber's  shop  to 
be  shaved,  she  would  wait  on  the  pave 
ment  until  he  came  out ;  and  in  many  of 
his  visits  she  accompanied  him,  very  dec 
orously  remaining  outside  while  her  mas 
ter  was  enjoying  the  society  of  his  friends. 
Ducks,  too,  have  been  known  to  exhibit 

sociable  and  friendly  traits.      There  is  a  story 

told  of  a  drake  who   once  came   into   a  room 

where  a  young  lady  was  sitting,  and  approaching 

her,  caught  hold  of  her  dress  with  his  bill  and 

commenced  to  pull  vigorously  at  it.     The  lady 

was  very  much  surprised  at  this  performance, 

and   tried   to    drive   the   drake  away.     But  he 

would   neither    depart  or  stop  tugging  at   her 

dress,  and  she  soon  perceived  that  he  wanted 

her  to  do  something  for  him.     So  she  rose  from 

her  chair,  and  the  drake  immediately  began  to 

lead  her  towards  the  door.     When  he  had  con- 


A  FEW  FEATHERED  FRIENDS. 


153 


ducted  her  out  on  to  the  lawn,  he  led  her  to  a  little  lake  near  the  house, 
and  there  she  saw  what  it  was  that  troubled  Mr.  Drake.  A  duck, 
very  probably  his  wife,  had  been  swimming  in  the  lake,  and  in  poking 
her  head  about,  she 
had  caught  her  neck 
in  the  narrow  opening 
of  a  sluice-gate  and 
there  she  was,  fas-t  and 
tight.  The  lady  lifted 
the  gate,  Mrs.  Duck 
drew  out  her  head  and- 
went  quacking  away, 
while  Mr.  Drake  testi 
fied  his  delight  and 
gratitude  by  flapping 
his  wings  and  qua-eking 
at  the  top  of  his  voice. 
We  have  also  friends 
among  the  feathered 
tribes,  who  are  not 
quite  so  intimate  and 
sociable  as  those  to 
which  we  have  already 
alluded,  but  which  still 
are  very  well  deserv 
ing  of  our  friendship 
and  esteem.  For  in 
stance,  what  charming 
little  companions  are 
the  canary-birds !  To 


'54 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


be  sure,  they  would  not  often  stay  with  us,  if  we  did  not  confine  them 
in  cages ;  but  they  seem  perfectly  at  home  in  their  little  wire  houses, 
and  sing  and  twitter  with  as  much  glee  as  if  they  were  flying  about 
in  the  woods  of  their  native  land — or  rather,  of  the  native  land  of 
their  forefathers,  for  most  of  our  canary-birds  were  born  in  the  midst 
of  civilization  and  in  cages. 

There  are  some  birds,  however,  no  bigger  than  canaries,  which 

seem  to  have  an  attach 
ment  for  their  masters 
and  mistresses,  and 
which  do  not  need  the 
restraint  of  a  cage. 
There  was  once  a  gold 
finch  which  belonged  to 
a  gentleman  who  lived 
in  a  town  in  Picardy, 
France,  but  who  was 
often  obliged  to  go  to 
Paris,  where  he  also 
had  apartments.  When 
ever  he  was  obliged  to 
go  to  the  great  city,  his 
gold-finch  would  fly  on 
ahead  of  him,  and,  ar 
riving  there  some  time  in  advance  of  the  carriage,  the  servants  would 
know  that  their  master  was  coming,  in  time  to  have  the  rooms  ready 
for  him.  And  when  the  gentleman  drove  up  to  the  door  he  would 
generally  see  his  little  gold-finch  sitting  on  the  finger  of  a  cook  or 
a  chamber-maid,  and  twittering  away  as  if  he  was  endeavoring  to 
inform  the  good  people  of  all  the  incidents  of  the  journey. 


A  FEW  FEATHERED  FRIENDS. 


155 


Some  of  these  little  birds,  however,  which  are  very  friendly  and 
comparatively  sociable  as  long  as  they  are  not  troubled  and  annoyed, 
are  not  only  able  to  distinguish  their  friends  from  their  foes,  but  are 
very  apt  to  stand  up  vigorously  in  defence  of  their  rights.  Those 
little  sparrows,  which  hop  about  so  cunningly  in  the  streets  of  many 
of  our  cities,  understand  very  well  that  no  one  will  hurt  them,  and 
that  they  may  pick  up  crumbs  wherever  they  can  find  them.  But  let 
a  few  boys  get  into  the  habit  of  throwing  sticks  and  stones  at  them, 
and  the  little  things  will  leave  that  neighborhood  as  quickly  as  if  the 
rents  of  all  their  tiny  houses  had  been  raised  beyond  their  means. 

Magpies,  too,  are  very  companionable  in  their  own  way,  if  they  are 
well  treated ;  but  if  a  boy  should  undertake 
to  steal  away  with  one  of  their  nests,  when 
it  was  full  of  young  ones,  he  would  run  a 
very  great  risk  of  having  his  eyes  picked 
out. 

There  is  a  feathered  friend  of  ours  who 
keeps  himself  so  secluded,  at  least  during 
the  day-time,  that  he  is  very  apt  to  escape 
our  notice.  I  refer  to  the  owl. 

It  may  not  be  supposed,  by  some,  that 
the  owl  is  a  friend  of  mankind,  and  I  am 
perfectly  willing  to  admit  that  very  often 
he  acts  very  much  like  an  enemy,  especi 
ally  when  he  kills  our  young  chickens 
and  turkeys.  But  for  all  that,  he  has  his 
good  points,  and  very  often  behaves  in  a 
commendable  manner.  If  you  have  a  barn 

or  a  house  that  is  overrun  with  -mice,  there  is  nothing  that  will  be 
more  certain  to  drive  them  out  than  an  owl.     And  he  will  not  be  so 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


apt  to  steal  your  milk  or  kill  your  canary  as  many  of  the  cats  which 
you  have  taken  into  your  family  without  a  recommendation. 

We  once  had  an  owl  living  in  our  house.  He  belonged  to  my 
young  brother,  who  caught  him  in  a  trap,  I  believe.  All  day  long, 
this  solemn  little  fellow  (for  he  was  a  small  brown  one),  would  sit  on 


the  back  of  a  chair,  or  some  such  convenient  place,  and  if  any  of 
us  came  near  him,  he  would  turn  his  head  and  look  at  us,  although 
he  could  not  see  very  well  in  the  day-time ;  and  if  we  walked  be 
hind  him,  or  on  different  sides  of  him,  he  would  always  keep  his 
eyes  on  us,  turning  his  head  around  exactly  as  it  it  was  set  on  a  pivot. 


A  FEW  FEA  THE  RED  FRIENDS.  1 5  7 

It  was  astonishing  how  easily  he  could  turn  his  head  without  moving 
his  body.  Some  folks  told  us  that  if  we  walked  around  and  around 
him,  he  would  turn  and  turn  his  head,  until  he  twisted  it  off,  but  we 
never  tried  that. 

It  was  really  astonishing  how  soon  the  mice  found  out  that  there 
was  an  owl  in  the  house.  He  had  the  range  of  a  great  part  of 
the  house  all  night,  and  in  a  very  short  time  he  had  driven  every 
mouse  away.  And  the  first  time  he  found  a  window  open,  he 
went  away  himself.  There  is  that  objection  to  owls,  as  mousers. 
They  are  very  good  so  long  as  they  will  hold  the  situation,  but 
they  are  exceedingly  apt  to  leave  without  giving  the  family  any 
notice.  You  won't  find  acat  doing  that.  The  trouble  with  her 
very  often  is  that  she  will  not  go  when  you  give  her  notice  to 
leave. 

When  we  speak  of  our  feathered  friends,  it  is  hardly  fair  to 
exclude  all  but  those  which  are  domesticated  with  us,  or  which 
are  willing,  sometimes,  to  come  and  live  in  our  houses.  In  the 
country,  and  very  often  in  towns,  our  homes  are  surrounded,  at 
certain  seasons,  by  beautiful  birds,  that  flutter  and  twitter  about 
in  the  trees,  and  sing  most  charmingly  in  the  bright  hours  of  the 
early  morning,  making  the  spring-time  and  the  summer  tenfold 
more  delightful  than  they  would  be  without  them.  These  birds 
ask  nothing  of  us  but  a  few  cherries  or  berries  now  and  then,  and 
they  pay  well  for  these  by  picking  up  the  worms  and  grubs  from  our 
gardens. 

I  think  that  these  little  warblers  and  twitterers,  who  fill  the  air  with 
their  songs  and  frolic  about  on  the  trees  and  bushes,  who  build  their 
nests  under  our  eaves  and  in  any  little  box  that  we  may  put  up  for 
them,  who  come  regularly  back  to  us  every  spring,  although  they  may 
have  been  hundreds  of  miles  away  during  the  cold  weather,  and  who 


'58 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


have  chosen,  of  their  own  accord,  to  live  around  our  houses  and  to 
sing  in  our  trees  and  bushes,  ought  to  be  called  our  friends,  as  much 
as  the  fowls  in  our  poultry-yards. 


IN  A  WELL. 


•59 


IN  A  WELL. 

PERHAPS  very  few  of  you  have  ever  seen  such  an  old-fashioned 
well  as  this.  No  pump,  no  windlass,  no  arrangement  that  you  are 
apt  to  call  at  all  convenient  for  raising  the  water.  Nothing  but  that  up 
right  stake,  on  top  of  which  moves  a  long  pole,  with  the  bucket  hang- 


160  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

ing  from  one  end  of  it.  But  the  artist  does  not  show  in  the  picture 
the  most  important  part  of  this  arrangement.  On  the  other  end  of 
this  long  pole  a  heavy  stone  is  fastened,  and  it  is  easy  to  see  that  a 
bucket  of  water  may  be  raised  without  much  trouble,  with  the  stone 
bearing  down  the  other  end  of  the  pole.  To  be  sure,  the  stone 
must  be  raised  when  the  bucket  is  lowered,  but  that  is  done  by  pull 
ing  downward  on  the  rope,  which  is  not  so  hard  as  to  haul  a  rope 
upward  when  the  resistance  is  equal  in  both  cases.  Try  it  some 
time,  and  you  will  see  that  the  weight  of  your  body  will  count  for  a 
great  deal  in  the  operation.  In  old  Mr.  Naylor's  yard — he  lived  in 
a  little  town  in  Pennsylvania — there  was  one  of  these  wells.  It  had 
been  dug  by  his  father,  and,  as  it  had  answered  all  his  needs  from  his 
childhood,  Mr.  Naylor  very  justly  considered  it  would  continue  to  do 
so  until  his  death,  and  he  would  listen  to  no  one  who  proposed  to  put 
up  a  pump  for  him,  or  make  him  a  windlass. 

One  afternoon  in  the  summer-time,  Jenny  Naylor,  his  grand 
daughter,  had  company,  and  after  they  had  been  playing  around  the 
orchard  for  an  hour  or  two,  and  had  slid  down  the  straw-stacks  to 
their  heart's  content,  the  children  all  went  to  the  well  to  get  a  drink. 
A  bucket  of  water  was  soon  hauled  up,  and  Tommy  Barrett  with  a 
tin-cup  ladled  out  the  refreshment  to  the  company.  When  they  had 
all  drank  enough  they  began  to  play  with  the  well-pole.  Boys  and 
girls  will  play,  you  know,  with  things  that  no  grown  person  would 
imagine  could  be  tortured  into  means  of  amusement.  In  less  than 
five  minutes  they  had  invented  a  game.  That  is,  the  boys  had.  I 
will  give  the  girls  the  credit  of  standing  by  and  looking  on,  in  a  very 
disapproving  manner,  while  this  game  was  going  on.  The  pastime 
was  a  very  simple  one.  When  the  stone-end  of  the  pole  rested  on 
the  ground,  on  account  of  the  bucket  being  empty,  one  of  the  boys 
stood  by  the  well-curb,  and,  seizing  the  rope  as  high  up  as  he  could, 


IN  A  WELL.  161 


pulled  upon  it,  the  other  boys  lifting  the  stone-end  at  the  same  time,. 
When  the  stone  was  a  foot  or  two  from  the  ground  the  boys  at  thafc 
end  sat  on  the  pole  and  endeavored  to  pull  up  the  fellow  at  the  othei 
end. 

A  glorious  game ! 

The  sport  went  on  very  nicely  until  Tommy  Barrett  took  hold  of 
the  rope.  He  was  the  biggest  boy,  and  the  little  fellows  could  not 
raise  him.  No,  it  was  no  use,  so  they  gave  it  up  and  jumped  off  of 
the  pole. 

But  what  was  their  amazement  to  see  the  stone  rise  in  the  air,  while 
at  the  same  time  Tommy  Barrett  disappeared  down  the  well ! 

The  fact  was,  Tommy  had  been  trying  to  "  show  off"  a  little  before 
the  girls,  and  when  he  found  the  boys  could  not  raise  him,  had  stepped 
on  the  well-curb,  and  pushing  the  bucket  off,  had  stood  on  it,  trying,  on 
his  part,  to  raise  the  boys.  So,  when  they  jumped  off,  down  he  sank. 
The  stone  was  not  near  so  heavy  as  Tommy,  but  it  was  weighty 
enough  to  prevent  his  going  down  very  fast,  and  he  arrived  safely  at 
the  bottom,  where  the  boys  and  girls  saw  him,  when  they  erowded 
around  the  well,  standing  up  to  his  arm-pits  in  water. 

"  Pull  me  up,  quick ! "  cried  Tommy,  who  still  stood  on  the  bucket, 
and  had  hold  of  the  rope. 

The  children  did  not  wait  to  be  asked  twice.  They  seized  the  rope 
and  pulled  their  very  best.  But  they  could  not  move  Tommy  one 
inch.  The  rope  hung  right  down  the  middle  of  the  well,  and  as  they 
had  to  reach  over  a  good  deal  even  to  touch  it,  they  could  get  no 
opportunity  of  exerting  their  full  strength  upon  it.  And  it  is  very 
well  that  they  could  not,  for  had  they  been  able  to  raise  Tommy,  it  is 
probable  that  one  or  two  of  them  would  have  been  jerked  down  the 
well  every  time  he  slipped  down  again,  which  he  would  have  been 
certain  to  do  a  great  many  times  before  he  reached  the  top. 
ii 


162  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

They  soon  perceived  that  they  could  not  draw  Tommy  from  the 
'well  in  that  way.  And  the  stone-end  of  the  pole  was  far  out  of  their 
reach.  What  should  they  do  ? 

There  was  no  one  at  the  house  but  the  two  old  people,  and  they 
were  hardly  as  strong  as  the  children.  They  all  said  a  great  deal, 
but  Jenny  Naylor,  who  was  much  older  than  any  of  the  others,  saw 
that  something  must  be  done  instantly,  for  Tommy  was  crying  out 
that  he  was  nearly  frozen  to  death,  and  she  was  afraid  that  he  would 
let  go  of  the  rope,  slip  off  of  the  bucket,  and  be  drowned. 

So,  without  a  word  to  anybody,  she  ran  to  the  upright  stake  and 
began  to  climb  it.  This  was  a  very  unlady-like  proceeding,  perhaps, 
but  Jenny  did  not  think  about  anything  of  that  kind.  She  was  the 
oldest  and  the  largest  of  them  all,  and  there  was  no  time  to  explain 
matters  to  the  boys.  Up  she  went,  as  actively  as  any  boy,  and  scram 
bling  to  the  crotch  of  the  stake,  she  seated  herself  upon  the  pole. 

Then  she  began  to  work  herself  slowly  up  towards  the  stone-end. 
And  as  she  gradually  approached  the  stone,  so  she  gradually  began 
to  sink  a  little,  and  the  nearer  she  got  to  it  the  more  she  sank  and 
the  higher  Tommy  Barrett  rose  in  the  well ! 

She  and  the  stone  were  heavier  than  he  was,  and  some  of  the 
children  stood,  with  open  mouths,  looking  at  Jenny  slowly  coming 
down,  while  the  others  crowded  around  the  well  -to  see  Tommy 
slowly  coming  up. 

When  Jenny  had  nearly  touched  the  ground,  there  was  Tommy 
hanging  above  the  well ! 

Half  a  dozen  little  hands  seized  the  bucket,  and  Tommy,  as  wet  as 
a  dish-rag,  stepped  on  to  the  curb. 

I  wish,  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart,  that  whenever  there  is  a  party 
of  cbildren,  playing  around  an  open  well,  that  there  could  be  a  girl 
like  Jenny  Naylor  with  them. 


A   VEGETABLE  GAS  MANUFACTORY. 


163 


A  VEGETABLE  GAS  MANUFACTORY. 

THERE  is  a  plant,  called  by  botanists  the  Fraxinella,  which  has  the 
peculiar  property  of  giving  out,  from  its  leaves  and  stalks,  a  gas  which 


164  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

is  inflammable.  Sometimes,  on  a  very  still  day,  when  there  is  no 
wind  to  blow  it  away  as  fast  as  it  is  produced,  this  gas  may  be  ignit 
ed  by  a  match,  when  the  plant  is  growing  in  the  open  air.  But  this 
is  very  seldom  the  case,  for  the  air  must  be  very  quiet,  and  the  plant 
very  productive,  for  enough  gas  to  be  found  around  it  to  ignite  when 
a  flame  is  applied. 

But  it  is  perfectly  possible,  as  you  may  see  in  the  engraving,  to 
collect  sufficient  gas  from  the  Fraxinella  to  produce  combustion  when 
ever  desired.  If  the  plant  is  surrounded  by  a  glass  case,  the  gas,  as 
fast  as  produced,  is  confined  in  the  case,  and  at  last  there  is  so  much 
collected  in  this  novel  gasometer,  that  it  is  only  necessary  to  open  the 
case,  and  apply  a  match,  to  see  plant-gas  burning. 

It  is  not  at  all  probable  that  the  least  use  in  the  world  could  be 
made  of  this  gas,  but  it  is  certainly  a  very  pretty  experiment  to  col 
lect  and  ignite  it. 

There  are  other  plants  which  have  this  property  of  exuding  illumi 
nating  gas  in  very  small  quantities,  but  none,  I  believe,  except'  the 
Fraxinella,  will  produce  enough  of  it  to  allow  this  experiment  to  be 
performed. 


A   COMPANY   OF  BEARS. 


1 66  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


A  FEW  WORDS  ABOUT  BEARS. 

IF  you  should  ever  be  going  up  a  hill,  and  should  meet  such  a  pro 
cession  as  that  on  the  opposite  page,  coming  down,  I  would  recom 
mend  you  to  get  just  as  far  to  one  side  as  you  can  possibly  go.  Bears, 
especially  when  there  are  so  many  of  them  together,  are  by  no  means 
pleasant  companions  in  a  walk. 

But  it  is  likely  that  you  might  wander  about  the  world  for  the  rest 
of  your  lives,  and  never  meet  so  many  bears  together  as  you  see  in 
the  engraving.  They  are  generally  solitary  animals,  and  unless  you 
happened  to  fall  in  with  a  mother  and  her  cubs,  you  would  not  be 
likely  to  see  more  than  one  at  a  time. 

In  our  own  country,  in  the  unsettled  parts  of  many  of  the  States, 
the  black  bear  is  still  quite  common ;  and  I  could  tell  you  of  places 
where,  if  you  pushed  carefully  up  mountain-paths  and  through  lone 
ly  forests,  you  might  come  upon  a  fine  black  bear,  sitting  at  the 
entrance  of  her  cave,  with  two  or  three  of  her  young  ones  playing 
about  her. 

If  it  should  so  happen  that  the  bear  neither  heard  you,  saw  you, 
or  smelt  you,  you  might  see  this  great  beast  fondling  her  young 
ones,  and  licking  their  fur  as  gently  and  tenderly  as  a  cat  with  her 
kittens. 

If  she  perceived  you  at  last,  and  you  were  at  a  distance,  it  is  very 
probable  that  she  and  her  young  ones,  if  they  were  big  enough, 
would  all  scramble  out  of  sight  in  a  very  short  time,  for  the  black 
bears  are  very  shy  of  man  if  circumstances  will  permit  them  to  get 
away  before  he  approaches  too  near  to  them.  But  if  you  are  so  near 
as  to  make  the  old  bear-mother  fearful  for  the  safety  of  her  children, 
you  will  find  that  she  will  face  you  in  a  minute,  and  if  you  are  not 


A  FEW  WORDS  ABOUT  BEARS. 


167 


well  able  to  take  care  of 
yourself,  you  will  wish 
you  had  never  seen  a 
bear. 

But,  in  the  western 
part  of  our  country,  es 
pecially  in  the  Rocky 
Mountain  region,  the 
grizzly  bear  is  found, 
and  he  is  a  very  differ 
ent  animal  from  his 
black  relations. 

He  is  the  most  sav 
age  and  formidable  an 
imal  on  this  continent, 
and  very  seldom  is  it 
that  he  runs  away  from 
a  man.  He  is  glad 
enough  to  get  a  chance 
to  fight  one.  He  is  so 
large  and  powerful  that 
he  is  very  difficult  to 
kill,  and  the  hunter  who 
has  slain  a  grizzly  bear 
may  well  be  proud  of 
the  exploit. 

Washington  Irving 
tells  of  a  hunter  who 

accidentally  fell  into  a  deep  hole,  out  in  the  prairies,  and  he  tumbled 
right  on   top  of  a   great   grizzly  bear !     How  the  bear  got  down 


i68 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


there  is  not  stated,  and  I  don't  suppose  the  hunter  stopped  to 
inquire.  A  fight  immediately  commenced  between  these  two  invol 
untary  companions,  and  after  a  long  struggle,  in  which  the  man  had 
an  arm  and  leg  broken,  and  was  severely  bitten  and. torn  besides,  he 
killed  the  bear. 

The  hunter  had  a  very  hard  time  after  that,  but  after  passing 
through  adventures  of  various  kinds,  he  floated  down  the  Mississippi 
on  a  log  and  was  taken  in  at  a  fort.  He  recovered,  but  was  maimed 
for  life. 


I  think  it  is  probable  that  no  other  man  ever  killed  a  grizzly  bear 
in  single  combat,  and  I  also  have  my  doubts  about  this  one  having 
done  so.  It  is  very  likely  that  his  victim  was  a  black  bear. 


A  FEW  WORDS  ABOUT  BEARS.  169 

Few  men  care  to  hunt  the  grizzly  bear  except  on  horseback,  so 
that  if  they  have  to  run  away,  they  may  have  better  legs  than  their 
own  under  them. 

The  other  great  bear  of  this  continent  is  the  white  or  Polar  bear, 
of  which  we  have  all  heard  so  much.  Up  in  the  regions  of  ice  and 
snow  this  bear  lives  just  as  comfortably  as  the  tiger  in  the  hot  jun 
gles  of  Asia,  and  while  he  is  not  quite  so  savage  as  the  tiger,  he  is 
almost  as  hard  to  kill.  But,  in  speaking  of  his  disposition,  I  have  no 
intention  whatever  to  give  him  a  character  for  amiability.  In  fact,  he 
is  very  ferocious  at  times.  He  has  often  been  known  to  attack  par 
ties  of  men,  and  when  wounded  can  make  a  most  soul-stirring  defence. 

The  Polar  bear  is  a  big  fellow,  with  long  white  hair,  and  he  lives 
on  seals  and  fish,  and  almost  anything  he  can  pick  up.  Sometimes 
he  takes  a  fancy  to  have  a  man  or  two  for  his  supper,  as  the  follow 
ing  story  will  prove. 

A  ship,  returning  from  Nova  Zembla,  anchored  near  an  island  in 
the  Arctic  Ocean,  and  two  of  the  sailors  went  on  land.  They  were 
standing  on  the  shore,  talking  to  each  other,  when  one  of  them  cried 
out,  "  Stop  squeezing  me  !  " 

The  other  one  looked  around,  and  there  was  a  white  bear,  very 
large  but  very  lean  and  scraggy,  which  had  sneaked  up  behind  the 
sailors,  and  now  had  clutched  one  of  them,  whom  he  very  speedily 
killed  and  commenced  to  eat,  while  the  other  sailor  ran  away. 

The  whole  crew  of  the  ship  now  landed,  and  came  after  the  bear, 
endeavoring  to  drive  him  away  from  the  body  of  their  comrade ;  but 
as  they  approached  him,  he  quietly  looked  at  them  for  a  minute,  and 
then  jumped  right  into  the  middle  of  the  crowd,  seized  another  man, 
and  killed  him.  Upon  this,  the  crew  ran  away  as  fast  as  they  could, 
and  scuttling  into  their  boats,  rowed  away  to  the  ship. 

There  were  three  of  these  sailors,  however,  who  were  too  brave 


170  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

to  stay  there  and  see  a  bear  devouring  the  bodies  of  their  friends, 
and  they  returned  to  the  island. 

The  bear  did  not  move  as  they  approached  him,  and  they  fired  on 
him,  without  seeming  to  injure  him  in  the  least.  At  length  one  of 
them  stepped  up  quite  close  to  him,  and  put  a  ball  into  his  head  just 
above  his  eye. 


But  even  this  did  not  kill  him,  although  it  is  probable  that  it  les 
sened  his  vigor,  for  he  soon  began  to  stagger,  and  the  sailors,  falling 
upon  him  with  their  swords,  were  able  to  put  him  to  death,  and  to 
rescue  the  remains  of  their  comrades. 

After  these  stories,  I  think  that  we  will  all  agree  that  when  we 
meet  a  procession  of  bears,  be  they  black,  white,  or  grizzly,  we  will 


A  FEW  WORDS  ABOUT  BEARS. 


171 


be  very  wise  to  give  them  the  right  of  way,  and  to  endeavor  to  drive 
from  our  minds,  as  far  as  possible,  such  ideas  of  the  animals  as  we 
may  have  derived  from  those  individuals  which  we  have  seen  in  rural 
menageries,  nimbly  climbing  poles,  or  sedately  drinking  soda-water. 


•72 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


AN  OLD  COUNTRY-HOUSE. 

HERE  is  a  picture  of  a  handsome  summer  residence.  It  apparently 
belongs  to  a  rich  man,  and  a  man  of  taste.  The  house  is  large  and 
commodious  ;  the  grounds  are  well  laid  out ;  there  is  a  garden,  evi 
dently  a  fine  one,  close  at  hand  ;  there  is  shade,  water,  fruit,  flowers, 
and  apparently  everything  that  a  country-house  ought  to  have, 

But  yet  there  is  a  certain  something  strange  and  unusual  about  it. 

There  are  handsome  porticos,  but  they  are  differently  arranged 
from  those  to  which  we  have  been  accustomed.  Such  as  those  in 
front  we  have  often  seen ;  but  the  upper  one,  which  appears  to  go 
nearly  around  the  house,  with  short  pillars  on  the  sides,  is  different 


AN  OLD  CO  UNTR  Y-HO  USE.  1 73 

from  anything  that  we  see  in  our  country  neighborhoods.  Those 
long  pillars  at  the  rear  of  the  house  seem -very  peculiar.  We  have 
never  notic'ed  anything  like  them  in  such  positions.  There  seems  to 
be  scarcely  any  portico  at  the  back,  and  those  slim  pillars  are  cer 
tainly  useless,  and,  to  our  eyes,  not  very  ornamental.  The  windows, 
too,  are  remarkable.  They  are  not  only  very  small,  but  they  are 
wider  at  the  bottom  than  the  top — a  strange  idea  of  the  architect  to 
make  them  in  that  way.  The  upper  story  of  the  house  does  not  ap 
pear  to  have  any  windows  at  all,  but  we  suppose  that  they  must  be 
in  the  back  and  front,  or  the  artist  may  have  accidentally  left  them 
out.  Even  if  that  floor  was  used  for  lumber-rooms,  there  ought  to 
be  windows. 

The  garden  has  a  very  high  wall  for  a  private  estate.  It  is  evident 
that  there  must  be  great  fear  of  thieves  in  that  neighborhood. 

But  it  is  no  wonder  that  some  things  about  this  house  and  its 
grounds  strike  us  as  peculiar,  for  it  was  built  more  than  three  thou 
sand  years  ago. 

It  was  the  country  residence  of  an  Egyptian  gentleman,  and  was, 
no  doubt,  replete  with  all  the  modern  conveniences  of  the  period. 
Even  in  the  present  day  he  might  consider  himself  a  very  fortunate 
man  who  had  so  good  a  house  and  grounds  as  these.  If  the  win 
dows  were  made  a  little  larger,  a  few  changes  effected  in  the  interior 
of  the  establishment,  and  some  chimneys  and  fire-places  built,  none 
of  our  rich  men  need  be  ashamed  of  such  a  house. 

But,  handsome  as  it  is,  it  is  not  probable  that  this  house  cost  the 
Egyptian  gentleman  very  much. 

It  is  very  likely,  indeed,  that  it  was  built,  under  the  supervision  of 
an  architect,  by  his  own  slaves,  and  that  the  materials  came  from  his 
own  estates.  But  he  may,  of  course,  have  spent  large  sums  on  its 
decoration  and  furniture,  and  it  is  very  probable,  judging  from  the 


174 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


outside  of  his  house,  that  he  did  so.     Some  of  those  old  Egyptian, 
were  most  luxurious  fellows. 

If  you  wish  to  see  how  his  slaves  worked  while  they  were  building 
his  house,  just  examine  this  picture. 

To  be  sure,  it  is  a  temple  which  these  men  are  building,  but  the 
bricklayers,  hod-carriers,  etc.,  worked  in  the  same  way  when  they 
were  putting  up  a  private  house. 


These  poor  men  whom  you  see  toiling  here  were  probably  not 
born  slaves,  and  it  is  very  likely  that  many  of  them  are  equal  in  birth 
and  education  to  those  who  own  them. 

A  great  proportion  of  them  are  captives  taken  in  war,  and  con 
demned  for  the  rest  of  their  lives  to  labor  for  their  victorious  enemies. 


AN  OLD  COUNTRY-HOUSE.      .  175 

That  will  be  a  vast  temple  which  they  are  building.  Look  at  the 
foundations — what  enormously  thick  walls  !  It  is  probable  that  sev 
eral  generations  of  slaves  will  labor  upon  that  temple  before  it  is  fin 
ished. 

They  do  not  work  exactly  as  we  do  in  the  present  day.  The  hod- 
carrier,  who  is  bringing  bricks  from  the  background,  has  a  very  good 
way  of  carrying  them  ;  but  those  who  are  bearing  a  pile  of  bricks  be 
tween  them  seem  to  make  a  very  awkward  business  of  it.  And  the 
man  who  is  carrying  mortar  on  his  shoulder,  as  he  ascends  the  lad 
der,  might  very  profitably  take  a  lesson  from  some  of  our  Irish  hod- 
carriers.  An  earthen  pot  with  a  round  bottom  is  certainly  a  poor 
thing  in  which  to  carry  mortar  up  a  ladder. 

The  man  who  is  apparently  squaring  a  stone,  and  the  one  who  is 
smoothing  or  trimming  off  some  bricks,  are  using  very  peculiar  chop 
ping  tools.  But  they  may  have  answered  their  purpose  very  well. 
At  any  rate,  most  magnificent  edifices  were  built  by  the  men  who 
used  them,  although  it  is  probable  that  the  poor  fellows  progressed 
very  slowly  with  their  work. 

It  may  be,  when  three  thousand  years  more  have  elapsed,  that  our 
country-houses  and  our  methods  of  building  may  appear  as  strange 
as  this  mansion  of  the  Egyptian  gentleman,  and  the  customs  of  the 
Egyptian  bricklayers,  seem  to  us. 

But  then  we  will  be  the  ancient  Americans,  and  it  will  make  no  sort 
of  difference  to  us  what  the  future  moderns  say  about  us. 


PINE    FOREST. 


FA  R-A  WA  Y  FORESTS.  1 7  7 


:  FAR-AWAY   FORESTS. 

I  HAVE  no  doubt  that  you  all  like  to  wander  in  the  woods,  but  sup 
pose  we  ramble  for  an  hour  or  two  in  forests  so  far  away  that  it  is 
probable  none  of  you  have  ever  seen  them. 

Let  us  first  enter  a  pine  forest. 

We  have  plenty  of  pines  in  our  own  country,  and  it  is  probable  that 
most  of  you  have  walked  in  the  pine  woods,  on  many  a  summer's  day, 
when  the  soft  carpet  of  "  needles,"  or  "  pine-shatters,"  as  some  people 
call  them,  was  so  pleasant  to  the  feet,  the  aromatic  perfume  of  the  leaves 
and  trees  was  so  delicious,  and  everything  was  so  quiet  and  solemn. 

But  here  is  a  pine  forest  in  the  Eastern  hemisphere. 

These  woods  are  vast  and  lonely.  The  ground  is  torn  up  by  tor 
rents,  for  it  is  a  mountainous  district,  and  the  branches  have  been 
torn  and  broken  by  many  a  storm.  It  is  not  a  pleasant  place  for 
those  who  love  cheerful  scenery,  and  moreover,  it  is  not  so  safe  to 
ramble  here  as  in  our  own  woods  at  home.  Companies  of  bandits 
inhabit  many  of  these  forests,  especially  those  that  stretch  over  the 
mountainous  portions  of  Italy.  It  seems  strange  that  in  this  enlight 
ened  era  and  in  one  of  the  civilized  countries  of  Europe,  bandits 
should  still  exist  to  terrify  the  traveller;  but. so  it  is. 

Let  us  get  out  of  this  pine  forest,  so  gloomy  and  perhaps  so  dan 
gerous. 

Here,  now,  is  a  very  different  place.  This  is  a  forest  in  the  tropics. 
You  will  not  be  likely  to  meet  with  bandits  here.  In  fact,  it  is  very 
improbable  indeed  that  you  will  meet  with  any  one.  There  are  vast 
portions  of  these  woods  which  have  never  been  trodden  by  the  foot 
of  man,  and  which  you  can  never  see  unless  you  cut  your  way,  hatchet 
in  hand,  among  the  thick  undergrowth  and  the  interlacing  vines. 

12 


78 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


Here  are  ferns  as  large  as  trees — great  masses  of  flowers  that  seem 
as  if  a  whole  garden  had  been  emptied  down  before  us — vast  wilder 
nesses  of  green,  which  we  know  extend  for  miles  and  miles,  and 

which,  although  appa 
rently  so  thick  and  im 
penetrable,  are  full  of 
all  kinds  of  life,  vege 
table  and  animal.  The 
trees  are  enormous, 
but  many  of  them  are 
so  covered  with  vines 
and  creepers  that  we 
can  scarcely  distinguish 
the  massive  trunks  and 
luxuriant  foliage.  Ev 
ery  color  is  here,  rich 
green,  royal  purple, 
red,  yellow,  lilac, 
brown,  and  gray.  The 
vines,  which  overrun 
everything,  are  filled 
with  gorgeous  flowers, 
and  hang  from  the 
branches  in  the  most 
graceful  forms.  Mon 
keys  chatter  among  the 
trees,  beautiful  parrots 
fly  from  limb  to  limb, 
butterflies  of  the  most 
gorgeous  hues  flutter 


FAR-A  WA  Y  FORESTS. 


179 


about  the  grass-tops 
and  the  leaves  near 
the  ground,  and  on 
every  log  and  trunk 
are  myriads  of  insects, 
lizards  and  little  living 
things  of  endless  va 
rieties,  all  strange  and 
wonderful  to  us. 

In  some  parts  of  this 
interminable  forest, 
where  the  light  breaks 
through  the  foliage, 
we  see  suspended  from 
the  trees  the  wonder 
ful  air -plants  or  or 
chids.  They  seem  like 
hanging-baskets  of 
flowers,  and  are  far 
more  beautiful  and 
luxuriant  than  any 
thing  of  the  kind  that 
we  have  in  our  hot 
houses  at  home. 

But  we  will  not  find 
it  easy  to  walk  through 
all  these  beauties.  As 
I  said  before,  we  will  often  be  obliged  to  cut  a  path  with  our  hatchets, 
and  even  then  we  may  be  unable  to  penetrate  very  far  into  thin  jungle 
of  beauties.  The  natives  of  these  countries,  when  they  aie  com- 


C'H, 


GIANT   TREES    OF   CALIFORNIA. 


FAR- A  WA  Y  FORESTS.  1 8 1 


pelled  to  pass  through  these  dense  forests,  often  take  to  the  small 
streams  and  wade  along  in  the  water,  which  is  sometimes  up  to  their 
shoulders,  occasionally  finding  shallower  places,  or  a  little  space  on 
the  banks  where  they  can  pick  their  way  along  for  a  few  hundred 
yards  before  they  are  obliged  to  take  to  the  stream  again. 

Everything  is  lovely  and  luxuriant  here,  but  it  will  not  do  to  stay 
too  long.  There  are  fevers  and  snakes. 

Let  us  now  go  to  the  greatest  woods  in  the  whole  world.  I  do  not 
mean  the  most  extensive  forest,  but  that  one  where  the  trees  are  the 
grandest.  This  is  the  region  where  the  giant  trees  of  California  grow. 

Nowhere  on  the  face  of  the  earth  are  there  such  trees  as  these. 
Some  of  them  stand  over  four  hundred  feet  high,  and  are  thirty  feet 
in  diameter ! 

Their  age  is  believed  to  be  about  eighteen  hundred  years.  Think  of  it ! 
They  have  been  growing  there  during  the  whole  of  the  Christian  era ! 

One  of  them,  the  very  largest  of  all,  has  been  lying  on  the  ground 
for  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  years.  When  it  was  standing  its 
diameter  was  about  forty  feet. 

Another  trunk,  which  is  lying  on  the  ground,  has  been  hollowed  out 
by  fire,  and  through  this  great  bore  or  tube  a  whole  company  of  horse 
men  has  ridden. 

Qne  of  these  trees  was  cut  down  some  years  ago  by  a  party  of 
men,  who,  I  think,  should  have  been  sent  to  prison  for  the  deed.  It 
took  five  men  twenty-five  days  to  cut  it  through  with  augers  and  saws, 
and  then  they  were  obliged  to  use  a  great  wedge  and  a  battering-ram 
to  make  it  fall. 

These  are  the  kings  of  all  trees.  After  such  a  grand  sight,  we  will 
not  want  to  see  any  more  trees  to-day,  and  we  will  leave  the  forests 
of  Far-away  and  sit  and  think  of  them  under  our  humble  grape-vines 
and  honeysuckles. 


THE  GREAT  EASTERN. 


BUILDING  SHIPS.  183 


BUILDING   SHIPS. 

IT  is  a  grand  thing  to  own  great  ships,  and  to  send  them  over  the 
ocean  to  distant  countries ;  but  I  will  venture  to  say  that  few  men 
have  derived  so  much  pleasure  from  their  fine  vessels,  laden  with  all 
kinds  of  valuable  freight,  as  many  a  boy  has  had  in  the  possession  of 
a  little  schooner,  which  would  be  overloaded  with  a  quart  of  chest 
nuts.  And  it  is  not  only  in  the  ownership  of  these  little  crafts  that 
boys  delight ;  they  enjoy  the  building  of  them  quite  as  much. 

And  a  boy  who  can  build  a  good  ship  is  not  to  be  laughed  at  by 
any  mechanic  or  architect,  no  matter  how  tall  or  how  old  he  may  be. 

The  young  ship-builder  who  understands  his  trade,  when  he  is 
about  to  put  a  vessel  on  the  stocks — to  speak  technically — first  makes 
up  his  mind  whether  it  is  to  be  a  ship,  a  schooner,  a  sloop,  or  merely 
a  sail-boat,  and  determines  its  size.  Then  he  selects  a  good  piece  of 
solid,  but  light  wood,  which  will  be  large  enough  for  the  hull.  Pine 
is  generally  used ;  but  if  he  can  get  a  piece  of  well-seasoned  white 
willow,  he  will  find  it  to  work  very  easily.  Then  he  shapes  his  hull 
with  knife  and  saw,  according  to  the  best  of  his  ability.  On  this 
process  the  success  of  the  whole  undertaking  depends.  If  the  bot 
tom  is  not  cut  perfectly  true  on  both  sides,  if  the  bow  is  not  shapely 
and  even,  if  the  stern  is  not  rounded  off  and  cut  up  in  the  orthodox 
fashion,  his  ship  will  never  sail  well,  no  matter  how  admirably  he  may 
execute  the  rest  of  his  work.  If  there  is  a  ship  or  boat  builder's 
establishment  anywhere  within  reasonable  walking  distance,  it  will 
well  pay*  our  young  shipwright  to  go  there,  and  study  the  forms  of 
hulls.  Even  if  he  should  never  build  a  ship,  he  ought  to  know  how 
they  look  out  of  the  water. 

When  the  hull  is  properly  shaped  it  must  be  hollowed  out.     This 


184  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


is  done  by  means  of  a  "gouge,"  or  chisel  with  a  curved  edge.  A 
small  vessel  can  be  hollowed  by  means  of  a  knife  or  ordinary  chisel, 
but  it  is  best  to  have  a  "gouge,"  if  there  is  much  wood  to  be  taken 
out.  When  he  has  made  the  interior  of  his  vessel  as  deep  and  wide 
as.  he  thinks  proper,  he  will  put  a  deck  on  it,  if  it  is  a  ship  or  a 
schooner ;  but  if  it  is  a  sail-boat  or  sloop,  he  will  probably  only  put  in 
seats  (or  "  thwarts,"  as  the  sailors  call  them),  or  else  half-deck  it. 

Then  comes  the  most  interesting  part  of  the  work — the  rigging. 
First  the  masts,  which  must  be  light  and  tapering,  and  standing  back 
at  a  slight  angle,  are  set  up,  and  the  booms  and  yards  are  attached. 
A  great  deal  of  ingenuity  can  be  displayed  in  making  the  booms  work 
well  on  the  masts.  The  bowsprit  is  a  simple  matter,  and  the  stays, 
or  ropes  which  support  and  strengthen  the  masts,  are  very  easily 
attached,  as  they  are  stationary  affairs.  But  the  working-tackle  and 
the  sails  will  show  whether  our  young  friend  has  a  genius  for  boat 
building  or  not.  If  his  vessel  has  but  a  single  mast,  and  he  merely 
makes  a  mainsail  and  a  jib,  he  will  not  have  much  trouble ;  but  if  he 
intends  to  fit  out  a  schooner,  a  brig,  or  a  ship,  with  sails  that  will 
work  (and  where  is  the  boy  with  soul  so  dead  as  to  have  any  other 
kind  ?),  he  will  find  that  he  will  have  a  difficult  job  before  him.  But 
if  he  tries  hard,  and  examines  the  construction  and  working  of  sails 
in  real  ships,  he  will  also  find  that  he  can  do  it. 

If  the  vessel  is  a  fine  one,  she  ought  to  be  painted  (this,  of  course, 
to  be  done  before  the  sails  are  finally  fastened  to  the  booms  and  yards), 
and  her  name  should  be  tastefully  painted  on  her  stern,  where,  of 
course,  a  rudder,  carefully  working  on  little  hooks,  is  already  hung. 

It  will  be  very  difficult  to  tell  when  the  ship  will  be  actually  finished. 
There  will  always  be  a  great  deal  to  do  after  you  think  all  is  done. 
Flags  must  be  made,  and  little  halyards  running  nicely  through  little 
pulleys  or  rings ;  ballast  must  be  provided  and  adjusted ;  conveniences 


BUILDING  SHIPS.  185 


for  storing  away  freight,  if  the  ship  is  large  and  voyages  are  contem 
plated,  must  be  provided ;  a  crew.;  perhaps  a  little  cannon  for  salutes ; 
an  anchor  and  windlass,  and  I  am  sure  I  cannot  tell  you  what  else 
besides,  will  be  thought  of  before  the  ship  is  done. 

But  it  will  be  done  some  time,  and  then  comes  the  happy  hour ! 

If  the  owner  is  fortunate  enough  to  live  near  a  pond  or  a  brook,  so 
that  he  can  send  her  right  across  to  where  his  partner  stands  ready 
to  receive  her,  he  is  a  lucky  boy  indeed. 

What  a  proud  moment,  when,  with  all  sails  set  and  her  rudder 
fixed  at  the  proper  angle,  she  is  launched ! 

How  straight  she  sits  in  the  water,  and  how  her  little  streamer  be 
gins  to  float  in  the  wind !  Now  see  her  sails  gradually  puff  out ! 
She  moves  gently  from  the  shore.  Now  she  bends  over  a  little  as 
the  wind  fills  her  sails,  and  she  is  off!  Faster  and  faster  she  glides 
along,  her  cutwater  rippling  the  water  in  front  of  her,  and  her  flags 
fluttering  bravely  in  the  air ;  and  her  delighted  owner,  with  laughing 
eyes,  beholds  her  triumphantly  scudding  over  the  surface  of  the  pond  ! 

I  tell  you  what  it  is,  boys,  I  have  built  a  great  many  ships,  and  I 
feel  very  much  like  building  another. 


i86 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


THE  ORANG-OUTANG. 

THE  Orang-outang  and  the  Chimpanzee  approach  nearer  to  man 
in  their  formation  and  disposition  than  any  other  animals,  and  yet 
these  Apes  seldom  evince  as  much  apparent  sense  and  good  feeling 
as  the  dog  or  elephant.  They  imitate  man  very  often,  but  they  ex 
hibit  few  inherent  qualities  which  should  raise  them  to  the  level  of 
many  of  man's  brute  companions. 

I  do  not  wish,  however,  to  cast  any  aspersions  on  an  animal  gene 
rally  so  good-tempered  and  agreeable  in  captivity  as  the  Orang 
outang.  What  he  might  become,  after  his  family  had  been  for  several 
generations  in  a  condition  of  domestic  servitude,  I  cannot  tell.  He 


THE  ORANG-OUTANG.  187 


might  then  even  surpass  the  dog  in  his  attachment  to  man  and  his 
general  intelligence. 

At  all  events,  the  Orang-outang  has  a  certain  sense  of  humor  which 
is  not  possessed  by  animals  in  general.  He  is  very  fond  of  imitating 
people,  and  sometimes  acts  in  the  most  grotesque  and  amusing  way, 
but,  like  many  human  wits  of  whom  we  read,  his  manner  is  always 
very  solemn,  even  when  performing  his  funniest  feats. 

An  old  gentleman  once  went  to  see  a  very  large  and  fine  Orang 
outang,  and  was  very  much  surprised  when  the  animal  approached  him, 
and  taking  his  hat  and  his  cane  from  him,  put  on  the  hat,  and,  with 
the  cane  in  his  hand,  began  to  walk  up  and  down  the  room,  imitating, 
as  nearly  as  possible,  the  gait  and  figure  of  his  venerable  visitor. 

There  was  another  Orang-outang,  who  belonged  to  a  missionary, 
who  performed  a  trick  even  more  amusing  than  this.  His  master 
was  preaching  one  Sunday  to  his  congregation,  when  Mr.  Orang 
outang,  having  escaped  from  the  room  where  he  had  been  shut  up, 
slipped  very  quietly  into  the  church,  and  climbed  up  on  the  top  of  the 
organ,  just  over  the  pulpit,  where  his  master  was  delivering  his  ser 
mon.  After  looking  about  him  for  a  minute  or  two,  the  ape  com 
menced  to  imitate  the  preacher,  making  all  his  gestures  and  motions. 
Of  course  the  people  began  to  smile  when  they  saw  this,  and  the 
minister,  thinking  that  they  were  behaving  very  improperly,  rebuked 
them  for  their  inattention,  and  preached  away  more  earnestly  than 
before.  The  Orang-outang,  of  course,  followed  his  example,  and 
commenced  to  gesticulate  so  earnestly  and  powerfully  that  the  con 
gregation  burst  into  laughter,  and  pointed  out  the  irreverent  ape. 
When  he  turned  and  saw  the  performance  of  his  imitator,  the  preacher 
could  not  help  laughing  himself,  and  the  Orang-outang,  after  a  good 
deal  of  time  had  been  spent  in  catching  him,  was  put  out  of  church, 
and  the  services  went  on  as  usual. 


i88  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

Nobody  likes  to  be  made  an  object  of  ridicule,  and  it  is  probable 
that  this  disposition  of  making  fun  of  people,  which  seems  so  natural 
to  the  Orang-outang,  would  prevent  his  becoming  a  domesticated 
member  of  our  families,  no  matter  how  useful  and  susceptible  of  train 
ing  he  might  prove  to  be. 

Nearly  all  of  us  have  some  comical  peculiarity,  and  we  would  not 
want  an  animal  in  the  house  who  would  be  sure,  at  some  time,  to  ex 
pose  us  to  laughter  by  his  imitative  powers. 

So  I  am  afraid  that  the  Orang-outangs,  intelligent  as  they  are,  will 
have  to  stay  in  the  woods. 


LITTLE  BRIDGETS  BATH. 


l8q 


LITTLE  BRIDGET'S  BATH. 

LITTLE  BRIDGET  was  a 
good   girl  and   a   pretty 
one,  but  she  had  ideas  of 
her  own.      She  liked  to 
study  her  lessons,  to  mind 
her  mother,  and  to  be 
have    herself  as  a  little 
girl  should,  but  she  did 
despise    to    be   washed. 
There     was     something 
about  the  very  smell  of 
soap   and   the    touch  of 
water   which    made    her 
shrink    and   shiver,    and 
she   would   rather    have 
seen  the  doctor  come  to 
her    with    a   teaspoonful 
of  medicine  than  to  have 
her  Aunt  Ann    approach  with  a  bov/lful  of 
water,  a  towel,  and  a  great  piece  of  soap. 
\     For  a  long  time  little  Bridget  believed  that 
here  was  no  escape  from  this  terrible  daily 
trial,  but  one  bright  morning,  when  she  awoke 
very  early,  long  before  any  one  else  in  the 
house,  she  thought  that  it  was  too  bad,  when 
everything  else  was  so  happy, — when  the  birds  and  butterflies  were 
flying  about  so  gayly  in  the  early  sunbeams,  and  the  flowers  were  all 


i9o  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


so  gay  and  bright,  and  smelling  so  sweet  and  contented,  that  she 
should  have  to  lie  there  on  her  little  bed  until  her  Aunt  Ann  came 
with  that  horrible  soap  and  towel !  She  made  up  her  mind  !  She 
wouldn't  stand  it ;  she  would  run  away  before  she  came  to  wash  her. 
For  one  morning  she  would  be  happy. 

So  up  she  jumped,  and  without  stopping  to  dress  herself,  ran  out 
among  the  birds  and  flowers. 

She  rambled  along  by  the  brook,  where  the  sand  felt  so  nice  and 
soft  to  her  bare  feet ;  she  wandered  through  the  woods,  where  she 
found  blackberries  and  wild  strawberries,  and  beautiful  ferns ;  and 
she  wandered  on  and  on,  among  the  rocks  and  the  trees,  and  over 
the  grass  and  the  flowers,  until  she  sat  down  by  a  great  tree  to  rest. 
Then,  without  intending  anything  of  the  kind,  she  went  fast  asleep. 

She  had  not  slept  more  than  five  minutes,  before  along  came  a 
troop  of  fairies,  and  you  may  be  assured  that  they  were  astonished 
enough  to  see  a  little  girl  lying  fast  asleep  on  the  grass,  at  that  time 
in  the  morning. 

"  Well,  I  never ! "  said  the  largest  fairy,  who  was  the  Principal 
One.  • 

"  Nor  I,"  said  the  Next  Biggest ;  "it's  little  Bridget,  and  with  such 
a  dirty  face  !  Just  look !  She  has  been  eating  blackberries  and 
strawberries — and  raspberries  too,  for  all  I  know  ;  for  you  remember, 
brother,  that  a  face  dirtied  with  raspberries  is  very  much  like  one 
dirtied  with  strawberries." 

"  Very  like,  indeed,  brother,"  said  the  Principal  One,  "  and  look  at 
her  feet !  She's  been  walking  in  the  wet  sand  !  " 

"  And  her  hands  !  "  cried  the  Very  Least,  "  what  hands  !  They're 
all  smeared  over  with  mixtures  of  things." 

"  Well,"  said  the  Next  Biggest  "  she  is  certainly  a  dirty  little  girl, 
but  what  is  to  be  done  ?  " 


LITTLE  BRIDGETS  BATH.  191 

"  Done  ?  "  said  the  Principal  .One.  "  There  is  only  one  thing  to  be 
done,  and  that  is  to  wash  her.  There  can  be  no  doubt  about  that." 

All  the  fairies  agreed  that  nothing  could  be  more  sensible  than  to 
wash  little  Bridget,  and  so  they  gathered  around  her,  and,  with  all 
gentleness,  some  of  them  lifted  her  up  and  carried  her  down  towards 
the  brook,  while  the  others  danced  about  her,  and  jumped  over  her, 
and  hung  on  to  long  fern  leaves,  and  scrambled  among  the  bushes, 
and  were  as  merry  as  a  boxful  of  crickets. 

When  they  approached  the  brook,  one  of  the  fairies  jumped  in  to 
see  if  the  water  was  warm  enough,  and  the  Principal  One  and  the 
Next  Biggest  held  a  consultation,  as  to  how  little  Bridget  should  be 
washed. 
.    "  Shall  we  just  souse  her  in  ?"  said  the  Next  Biggest. 

"I  hardly  think  so,"  said  the  Principal  One.  "She  may  not  be 
used  to  that  sort  of  thing,  and  she  might  take  cold.  It  will  be  best 
just  to  lay  her  down  on  the  bank  and  wash  her  there." 

So  little  Bridget,  who  had  never  opened  her  eyes  all  this  time  (and 
no  wonder,  for  you  will  find,  if  you  are  ever  carried  by  fairies 
while  you  are  asleep,  that  they  will  bear  you  along  so  gently  that 
you  will  never  know  it),  was  brought  to  the  brook  and  laid  softly 
down  by  the  water's  edge. 

Then  all  the  fairies  set  to  work  in  good  earnest.  Some  dipped 
clover  blossoms  in  the  water,  and  washed  and  rubbed  her  mouth  and 
cheeks  until  there  was  not  a  sign  left  of  strawberry  or  blackberry 
stain ;  others  gathered  fern  leaves  and  soft  grass,  and  washed  her 
little  feet  until  they  were  as  white  as  lambs'  wool ;  and  the  Very 
Least,  who  had  been  the  one  to  carry  her  hand,  now  washed  it  with 
ever  so  many  morning-glory-blossom-fuls  of  water  and  rubbed  it  dry 
with  soft  clean  moss. 

Other  fairies  curled  her  hair  around  flower  stalks,  while  some 


192  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

scattered  sweet  smelling-  blossoms  about  her,  until  there  was  never 
such  a  sweet,  clean,  and  fragrant  little  girl  in  the  whole  world. 

And  all  this  time  she  never  opened  her  eyes.  But  no  wonder,  for 
if  you  are  ever  washed  by  fairies  while  you  are  asleep,  you  will  find 
that  you  will  never  know  it. 

When  all  was  done,  and  not  a  speck  of  dirt  was  to  be  seen  any 
where  on  little  Bridget,  the  fairies  took  her  gently  up  and  carried  her 
to  her  mother's  house,  for  they  knew  very  well  where  she  lived. 
There  they  laid  her  down  on  the  doorstep,  where  it  was  both  warm 
and  shady,  and  they  all  scampered  away  as  fast  as  their  funny  little 
legs  could  carry  them. 

It  was  now  about  the  right  time  in  the  morning  to  get  up,  and  very 
soon  the  front  door  opened  and  out  came  Aunt  Ann,  with  a  bucket 
on  her  arm,  which  she  was  going  to  fill  at  the  well  for  the  purpose 
of  giving  little  Bridget  her  morning  wash. 

When  Aunt  Ann  saw  the  little  girl  lying  on  the  door  step  she  was 
so  astonished  that  she  came  very  near  dropping  the  bucket. 

"Well,  I  never!"  said  she,  "if  it  isn't  little  Bridget,  and  just  as 
clean  as  a  new  pin  !  I  do  declare  I  believe  the  sweet  innocent  has 
jumped  out  of  bed  early,  and  gone  and  washed  and  combed  herself, 
just  to  save  me  the  trouble ! " 

Aunt  Ann's  voice  was  nothing  like  so  soft  and  gentle  as  a  fairy's, 
and  it  woke  up  little  Bridget. 

"  You  lovely,  dear !  "  cried  her  Aunt,  "  I  hadn't  the  least  idea  in 
the  world  that  you  were  such  a  smart  little  thing,  and  there  is  no 
doubt  but  that  you  are  now  old  enough  to  wash  and  dress  yourself, 
and  after  this  you  may  do  it ! " 

So,  after  that,  Bridget  washed  and  dressed  herself,  and  was  just  as 
happy  as  the  birds,  the  butterflies,  and  flowers. 


SOME  NOVEL  FISHING. 


SOME  NOVEL  FISHING. 

FISHING  has  one  great  peculiarity  which  makes  it  often  vastly  more 
interesting  than  hunting,  gunning,  or  many  other  sports  of  the  kind, 
and  that  is  that  you  never  know  exactly  what  you  are  going  to  get. 

If  we  fish  in  waters  known  to  us,  we  may  be  pretty  sure  of  what 
we  will  not  get,  but  even  in  our  most  familiar  creeks  and  rivers,  who 
can  say  that  the  fish  which  is  tugging  at  our  line  is  certainly  a  perch, 
a  cat-fish,  or  an  eel  ?  We  know  that  we  will  not  pull  up  a  shad  or  a 
salmon,  but  there  is  always  a  chance  for  some  of  those  great  prizes 
which  are  to  be  found,  by  rare  good  luck,  in  every  river  and  good- 
sized  stream ;  a  rock-fish,  or  striped-bass  perhaps,  or  a  pike,  or 
enormous  chub. 

But  there  are  some  fish  which  would  not  only  gratify  but  astonish 

13 


194 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


most  of  us,  if  we  could  be  so  fortunate  as  to  pull  them  out  of  the 
water.  For  instance,  here  are  some  fish  with  both  their  eyes  on 
one  side  of  their  heads. 


These  are  Turbots,  and  are  accounted  most  excellent  eating. 
They  resemble,  in  their  conformation  but  not  in  their  color,  our  floun 
ders  or  flat-fish,  which  some  of  you  may  have  caught,  and  many  of 
you  have  eaten.  These  fish  lie  on  one  side,  at  the  very  bottom  of 
the  water  in  which  they  live,  and  consequently  one  eye  would  be 
buried  in  the  mud  and  would  be  of  no  use,  if  they  were  formed  like 
common  fish.  But  as  their  enemies  and  their  food  must  come  from 
above  them,  they  need  both  their  eyes  placed  so  that  they  can  always 
look  upwards.  In  the  picture  at  the  head  of  this  article,  you  will  see 


SOME  NOVEL  FISHING. 


'95 


some  Soles  lying  together  at  the  bottom.  These  are  formed  in  the 
same  way.  They  are  white  on  one  side,  which  is  always  down  ex 
cept  when  they  are  swimming  about,  and  a  very  dark  green  on  the 
other,  so  that  they  can  scarcely  be  distinguished  from  the  mud  when 
they  are  lying  at  the  bottom.  The  Turbot,  however,  as  you  see,  is 
very  handsomely  spotted. 

But  there  are  much  stranger  fish  than  these  flat  fellows,  and  we 
must  take  a  look  at  some  of  them.  What  would  you  say  if  you  were 
tp  pull  up  such  a  fish  as  this  on  your  hook  ? 


This  is  a  Hippocampus,  or  sea-horse.  He  is  a  little  fellow,  only  a 
few  inches  in  length,  but  .he  is  certainly  a  curiosity.  With  a  head  and 
neck  very  much  like  those  of  a  horse,  he  seems  to  take  pleasure  in 
keeping  himself  in  such  a  position  as  will  enable  him  to  imitate  a  high 
mettled  charger  to  the  greatest  advantage.  He  curves  his  neck  and 


196 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


holds  up  his  head  in  a  manner  which  few  horses  adopt,  unless  they 
are  reined  up  very  tightly.  I  have  seen  these  little  fellows  in  aqua 
riums,  and  have  always  regarded  them  as  the  most  interesting  of 
fishes. 

But  although  it  is  by  no  means  probable  that  any  of  us  will  ever 
catch  a  sea-horse,  we  might  get  even  stranger  fish  upon  our  hooks. 
If  we  had  a  very  large  hook,  a  long  and  strong  line,  and  a  tempting 
bait,  it  is  just  possible,  if  we  were  to  go  to  exactly  the  right  spot,  and 
had  extraordinary  good  fortune,  that  we  might  catch  such  a  beauty 
as  this. 


This  fellow  you  will  probably  recognize  as  the  Cuttle-fish.     Some 
persons  call  it  the  Devil-fish,  but  the  name   is  misapplied.     The 


SOME  NOVEL  FISHING.  197 

Devil-fish  is  a  different  kind  of  a  sea  monster.  But  the  Cuttle-fish 
is  bad  enough  to  have  the  very  worst  name  that  could  be  bestowed 
upon  him.  Those  great  arms,  which  sometimes  grow  to  a  length 
of  several  feet,  he  uses  to  wrap  around  his  prey,  and  they  are  strong 
and  tough.  He  has  two  eyes  and  a  little  mouth,  and  is  about  as  pug 
nacious  a  fish  as  is  to  be  found  anywhere.  If  I  should  ever  haul  a 
Cuttle-fish  into  my  boat,  I  think  I  should  feel  very  much  like  getting 
out,  no  matter  how  deep  the  water  might  be. 

There  was  once  a  sea  captain,  who  was  walking  on  a  beach  with 
some  of  his  men,  when  he  espied  one  of  these  Cuttle-fish,  travelling 
over  the  sand  towards  the  water.  He  thought  it  would  be  a  fine 
thing  to  capture  such  a  strange  fish,  and  he  ran  after  it,  and  caught 
hold  of  one  of  its  legs.  But  he  soon  wished  that  it  had  got  away 
from  him,  for  the  horrid  creature  turned  on  him,  and  wrapped  sev 
eral  of  its  long  arms  or  legs — whichever  they  may  be — around  him, 
and  the  poor  captain  soon  began  to  fear  that  he  himself  would  not  be 
able  to  escape. 

Nothing  that  he  could  do  would  loosen  the  hold  of  the  monster 
upon  him,  and  if  it  had  not  been  for  a  sailor  who  ran  up  with  a 
hatchet  and  cut  the  limbs  of  the  Cuttle-fish  from  its  body,  the  poor 
captain  might  have  perished  in  the  embrace  of  this  most  disagreeable 
of  all  fishes.  There  are  a  great  many  stories  told  of  this  fish,  and 
it  is  very  probable  that  all  the  worst  ones  are  true.  Canary  birds 
are  very  fond  of  pecking  at  the  bones  taken  from  small  Cuttle-fish, 
and  india-ink  is  made  from  a  black  substance  that  it  secretes,  but  I 
would  rather  do  without  canary  birds  altogether,  and  never  use 
india-ink,  than  to  be  obliged  to  catch  my  own  Cuttle-fish. 

But  while  we  are  hauling  strange  things  up  from  the  deep,  suppose 
we  take  something  that  is  not  exactly  a  fish,  but  which  is  alive  and 
lives  in  the  water.  What  do  you  think  of  a  living  thing  like  this  ? 


198 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


This  is  a  polypier,  and  its  particular  name  is  the  fungia,  being  so 
called  because  it  resembles  a  vegetable  fungus.  The  animal  lives 
inside  of  that  circular  shell,  which  is  formed  something  like  the  under 
side  of  a  toad-stool.  Between  the  thin  plates,  or  leaves,  the  polypier 


thrusts  out  its  arms  with  little  suckers  at  the  ends.  With  these  it 
seizes  its  food  and  conveys  it  to  its  mouth,  which  is  situated  at  the 
centre  of  its  body. 

.  But  there  are  more  strange  fish  in  the  sea  than  we  can  ever  men 
tion,  and  the  strange  fish  are  by  no  means  the  most  profitable.  Still 
there  is  a  pleasure  in  fishing,  no  matter  what  we  pull  up. 

The  greatest  fishers  in  the  world  are  fish.     The  Whale  will  catch, 


SOME  NOVEL  FISHING. 


199 


in  the  course  of  a  day, 
enough  herring  to  last 
a  family  for  many  years, 
and  in  all  the  rivers  and 
oceans  and  lakes,  fish 
ing  is  going  on  so  con 
stantly  and  extensively 
that  the  efforts  of  man 
in  that  direction  seem 
ridiculous,  by  contrast. 

The  Tunny,  a  large 
fish,  measuring  from 
two  to  five  feet  in  ordi 
nary  length,  is  a  great 
fisher.  He,  like  the 
Whale,  is  fond  of  her 
rings,  and  he  likes  them 
fresh,  not  salt,  smoked, 
or  pickled.  Often,  when 
the  fishermen  are  busy 
in  their  boats,  setting 
their  nets  for  herring, 
a  troupe  of  Tunnies  will 
come  along,  and  chase 
the  herring  in  every 
direction,  swallowing 
every  unfortunate  fellow  that  they  can  catch. 

Some  of  the  fishers  that  live  in  the  sea  are  terrible  fellows,  and  are 
by  no  means  content  with  such  small  game  as  herring.  The  Sword- 
fish,  for  instance,  always  appears  to  prefer  large  victims,  and  he  has 


20O 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


such  strong  tastes  of  that  kind,  that  he  has  been  known  to  attack 
ships,  driving  his  long  sword  clean  through  the  bottom  of  the  vessel. 
But  he  generally  comes  off  second  best  on  such  occasions,  for  his 
sword  is  very  often  broken  off  and  left  sticking  fast  in  the  thick 
hull. 

The  Sword-fish  has  a  better  chance  when  he  attacks  a  Whale,  and 
this  he  has  often  been  known  to  do.     The  Whale  could  probably  kill 


the  Sword-fish,  if  he. could  get  one  good  crack  at  him,  but  the  smaller 
fish  is  generally  active  enough  to  keep  out  of  the  way  of  harm,  while 
he  drives  his  sword  into  the  Whale  again  and  again,  until  the  great 
creature  often  perishes  from  loss  of  blood. 

The  Shark,  as  you  all  know,  is  the  most  ferocious  and  dangerous 


SOME  NOVEL  FISHING. 


2OI 


of  all  the  fishers  in  the  sea.  He  considers  anything  suitable  for  a 
lmeal  which  will  go  into  his  mouth ;  he  will  eagerly  snap  at  a  man,  a 
mouse,  or  even  a  tin  coffee-pot,  or  a  band-box.  So  savage  and  re 
lentless  is  this  "  tiger  of  the  sea,"  as  he  is  sometimes  called,  that  it  is 
gratifying  to  think  that  he  occasionally  goes  out  fishing  and  gets 
caught  himself.  Many  instances  have  been  related  of  natives  of  the 
Pacific  Islands,  who  are  accustomed  to  bathe  so  much  in  the  ocean 
that  they  swim  almost  like 
fishes  themselves,  who 
have  successfully  given 
battle  to  Sharks  which 
have  pursued  them.  The 
Shark  is  unable,  from  the 
peculiar  formation  of  his 
mouth,  to  seize  the  man, 
unless  he  can  turn  par 
tially  over.  Therefore  the 
man  takes  care  to  keep 
below  the  Shark,  and  a 
few  stabs  with  his  long 
knife  are  generally  suffi 
cient  to  finish  the  combat, 
and  to  slay  the  monster. 

Still,  although  it  appears  so  easy  to  kill  a  Shark  in  this  way,  I 
think  it  will  generally  be  found  preferable  to  try  for  some  other  kind 
of  fish. 

Let  others  go  seek  the  Shark,  the  Sword-fish,  or  the  squirming 
Cuttle-fish.  Give  us  the  humble  Perch  and  the  tender  Trout.  Don't 
you  say  so  ? 


MARIE   DEI-EX    SEIZED    BY    AN    EAGLE. 


EAGLES  AND  LITTLE  GIRLS.  203 


EAGLES  AND  LITTLE  GIRLS. 

MANY  years  ago,  among  the  mountains  of  Switzerland,  an  Eagle 
pounced  down  upon -a  little  girl,  and  carried  her  away.  Her  parents 
were  harvesting  in  the  field,  and  they  did  not  notice  the  danger  of 
their  little  daughter,  until  the  great  bird  had  lifted  her  up  in  his  talons, 
and  was  flying  away  with  her  to  his  nest  in  the  mountain  crags. 

I  remember  having  read  all  the  particulars  of  this  remarkable 
affair,  but  I.  forget  whether  the  child  was  rescued  alive  or  not.  At 
any  rate  let  us  hope  that  she  was. 

But  this  incident  suggests  the  following  question  :  Ought  little  girls 
to  be  allowed  to  play  out  of  doors  in  countries  where  there  are  Eagles  ? 

Many  a  child,  after  looking  at  such  a  picture  as  that  upon  the  oppo 
site  page,  might  reasonably  stand  in  awe  of  the  national  bird  of  our 
country ;  but  I  will  state  that  it  is  my  firm  belief  that  a  child  runs 
quite  as  much  risk  of  being  swallowed  up  by  an  earthquake  as  it  does 
*of  being  carried  away  by  an  Eagle. 

There  have  been  a  few  instances  where  the  bald-headed  Eagle  of 
this  country — (so  called,  not  because  its  head  is  bald,  but  because  it 
is  gray) — has  attacked  children,  but  these  cases  are  very  rare  indeed. 
The  Eagle  which  carried  off  the  little  girl  in  Switzerland  was  of  a 
very  different  kind  from  the  national  emblem  of  America, — much 
more  powerful  and  fierce.  But  even  in  Switzerland,  if  the  children 
all  lived  until  they  were  carried  away  by  Eagles,  the  country  would 
soon  become  like  one  great  school-house  yard. 

So,  looking  at  the  matter  in  all  its  various  aspects,  I  think  that  we 
may  reasonably  conclude  that  little  girls,  when  they  play  out  of  doors, 
are  in  more  danger  from  horses,  dogs,  snakes,  and  bad  company,  than 
of  being  attacked  by  Eagles,  and  the  children  may  all  look  upon  the 
picture  of  the  Eagle  of  the  Alps  and  its  baby  prey  without  a  shud 
der  on  their  own  account. 


204 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


CLIMBING  MOUNTAINS. 


THERE  is  nothing 
which  can  give  us 
grander  ideas  of  Na 
ture  than  to  stand  on 
the  top  of  a  high 
Mountain.  But  it  is 
very  hard  to  get  there. 
And  yet  there  are  very 
few  Mountains  in  the 
world  which  have  not 
been  ascended  by  man. 

For  hundreds  of  years, 
Mont  Blanc,  that  lofty 
peak  of  the  Alps,  was 
considered  absolutely  in 
accessible,  but  it  is  now 
frequently  ascended. 
Even  ladies,  and  some 
of  them  Americans,  have 
stood  upon  its  summit. 

But  few  persons,  ex 
cept  those  who  have 
actually  made  the  as 
cent  of  high  and  preci 
pitous  Mountains,  have 
any  idea  of  the  dangers 
and  difficulties  of  the 


CLIMBING  MOUNTAINS.  205 

undertaking-.  The  adventurers  are  obliged  to  wear  shoes  studded 
with  strong  iron  spikes  to  prevent  slipping ;  they  carry  long  poles 
with  iron  points  by  which  they  assist  themselves  up  the  steep 
inclines ;  they  are  provided  with  ladders,  and  very  often  the  whole 
party  fasten  themselves  together  with  a  long  rope,  so  that  if  one 
slips  the  others  may  prevent  him  from  falling. 

Where  there  are  steep  and  lofty  precipices,  crumbling  rocks,  and 
overhanging  cliffs,  such  as  those  which  obstruct  the  path  of  the  party 
whose  toilsome  journey  is  illustrated  in  the  accompanying  engraving, 
the  feat  of  climbing  a  Mountain  is  hazardous  and  difficult  enough ; 
but  when  heights  are  reached  where  the  rocks  are  covered  with  ice, 
where  deep  clefts  are  concealed  by  a  treacherous  covering  of  snow, 
where  avalanches  threaten  the  traveller  at  every  step,  and  where  the 
mountain -side  often  seems  as  difficult  to  climb  as  a  pane  of  glass,  the 
prospect  seems  as  if  it  ought  to  appal  the  stoutest  heart. 

But  some  hearts  are  stouter  than  we  think,  and  up  those  icy  rocks, 
along  the  edges  of  bewildering  precipices,  over,  under,  and  around 
great  masses  of  rock,  across  steep  glaciers  where  every  footstep 
must  be  made  in  a  hole  cut  in  the  ice,  brave  men  have  climbed  and 
crept  and  gradually  and  painfully  worked  their  way,  until  at  last  they 
stood  proudly  on  the  summit,  and  gazed  around  at  the  vast  expanse 
of  mountains,  plains,  valleys,  and  forests,  spread  far  and  wide  beneath 
them. 

In  Europe  there  are  regular  associations  or  clubs  of  mountain- 
climbers,  which  at  favorable  periods  endeavor  to  make  the  ascent 
of  lofty  and  difficult  Mountains.  Nearly  every  peak  of  the  Pyrenees 
and  the  Alps  has  felt  the  feet  of  these  adventurers,  who  take  as 
much  delight  in  their  dangerous  pursuits  as  is  generally  found  by  the 
happiest  of  those  who  are  content  with  the  joys  of  ordinary  altitudes. 

We  have  very  many  grand  Mountains  in  our  country,  but  we  have 


206  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

not  yet  reduced  their  ascent  to  such  a  system  as  that  which  these 
Alpine  clubs  have  adopted.  But  very  many  of  our  countrymen  have 
climbed  to  the  loftiest  peaks  of  the  White  Mountains,  the  Catskills, 
the  Alleghenies,  and  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

Mountain-climbing  is  certainly  dangerous,  and  it  is  about  the  hard 
est  labor  of  which  man  is  capable,  but  the  proud  satisfaction  of  stand 
ing  upon  a  mountain-top  repays  the  climber  for  all  the  labor,  and 
makes  him  forget  all  the  dangers  that  he  has  passed  through. 


ANDREW'S  PLAN. 


207 


ANDREW'S  PLAN. 

"  Oh,  ANDY  !  "  said  little  Jenny  Murdock,  "  I'm  so  glad  you  came 
along  this  way.     I  can't  get  over." 

"  Can't  get  over  ?  "  said  Andrew ;  "  why,  what's  the  matter?" 
"The  bridge  is  gone,"  said  Jenny.     "When  I  came  across  after 


208  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

breakfast  it  was  there,  and  now  it's  over  on  the  other  side,  and  how 
can  I  get  back  home  ?  " 

"  Why  so  it  is,"  said  Andrew.  "  It  was  all  right  when  I  came  over 
a  little  while  ago,  but  Old  Donald  pulls  it  on  the  other  side  every 
morning  after  he  has  driven  his  cows  across,  and  I  don't  think  he  has 
any  right  to  do  it.  I  expect  he  thinks  the  bridge  was  made  for  him 
and  his  cows." 

"  Now  I  must  go  down  to  the  big  bridge,  Andy,  and  I  want  you  to 
come  with  me.  I'm  afraid  to  go  through  all  those  dark  woods  by 
myself,"  said  Jenny. 

"  But  I  can't  go,  Jenny,"  said  Andrew ;  "  it's  nearly  school  time 
now." 

Andrew  was  a  Scotch  boy,  and  a  fine  fellow.  He  was  next  to  the 
head  of  his  school,  and  he  was  as  good  at  play  as  he  was  at  his  books. 
Jenny  Patterson,  his  most  particular  friend,  was  a  little  girl  who 
lived  very  near  Andrew's  home.  She  had  no  brothers  or  sisters,  but 
Andrew  had  always  been  as  good  as  a  brother  to  her,  and  therefore, 
when  she  stood  by  the  water's  edge  that  morning,  just  ready  to  burst 
into  tears,  she  thought  all  her  troubles  over  when  she  saw  Andrew 
approach.  He  had  always  helped  her  out  of  her  difficulties  before, 
and  she  saw  no  reason  why  he  should  not  do  it  now.  She  had 
crossed  the  creek  in  search  of  wild  flowers,  and  when  she  wished  to 
return  had  found  the  bridge  removed,  as  Andrew  supposed,  by  Old 
Donald  McKenzie,  who  pastured  his  cows  on  this  side  of  the  creek. 
This  stream  was  not  very  wide,  nor  very  deep  at  its  edges,  but  in  the 
centre  it  was  four  or  five  feet  deep,  and  in  the  Spring  there  was  quite 
a  strong  current,  so  that  wading  across  it,  either  by  cattle  or  men, 
was  quite  a  difficult  undertaking.  As  for  Jenny,  she  could  not  get 
across  at  all  without  a  bridge,  and  there  was  none  nearer  than  the 
wagon  bridge,  a  mile  and  a  half  below. 


ANDREW'S  PLAN. 


"  You  will  go  with  me,  Andy,  won't  you?  "  said  the  little  girl. 

"  And  be  late  to  school  ?  "  said  he.  "  I  have  never  been  late  yet,'i 
you  know.  Jenny." 

"  Perhaps  Dominie  Black  will  think  you  have  been  sick,  or  had  to 
mind  the  cows,"  said  Jenny. 

"  He  won't  think  so  unless  I  tell  him,"  said  Andrew,  "  and  you 
know  I  won't  do  that." 

"  If  we  were  to  run  all  the  way,  would  you  be  too  late  ?  "  said 
Jenny. 

"  If  we  were  to  run  all  the  way  to  the  bridge  and  I  was  to  run  all 
the  way  back,  I  would  not  get  to  school  till  after  copy-time.  I  expect 
every  minute  to  hear  the  school-bell  ring,"  said  Andrew. 

"But  what  can  I  do,  then?"  said  poor  little  Jenny.  "  I  can't  wait 
here  till  school's  out,  and  I  don't  want  to  go  up  to  the  school-house, 
for  all  the  boys  to  laugh  at  me." 

"  No,"  said  Andrew,  reflecting  very  seriously,  "  I  must  take  you 
home  some  way  or  other.  It  won't  do  to  leave  you  here,  and  no 
matter  where  you  might  stay,  your  mother  would  be  troubled  to  death 
about  you." 

"  Yes,"  said  Jenny,  "  she  would  think  I  was  drowned." 

Time  pressed,  and  Jenny's  countenance  became  more  and  more 
overcast,  but  Andrew  could  think  of  no  way  in  which  he  could  take 
the  little  girl  home  without  being  late  and  losing  his  standing  in  the 
school. 

It  was  impossible  to  get  her  across  the  stream  at  any  place  nearer 
than  the  "  big  bridge ; "  he  would  not  take  her  that  way  and  make  up 
a  false  story  to  account  for  his  lateness  at  school,  and  he  could  not 
leave  her  alone  or  take  her  with  him. 

What  in  the  world  was  to  be  done  ? 

While   several   absurd   and   impracticable    projects  were    passing 
14 


zio  ,       ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

through  his  brain  the  school-bell  began  to  ring,  and  he  must  start 
immediately  to  reach  the  school-house  in  time. 

k.'    And  now  his  anxiety  and  perplexity  became  more  intense  than  ever, 
and  Jenny,  looking  up  into  his  troubled  countenance,  began  to  cry. 

Andrew,  who  never  before  had  failed  to  be  at  the  school  door 
before  the  first  tap  of  the  bell,  began  to  despair. 

Was  there  nothing  to  be  done  ? 

Yes !  a  happy  thought  passed  through  his  mind.  How  strange 
that  he  should  not  have  thought  of  it  before  ! 

He  would  ask  Dominie  Black  to- let  him  take  Jenny  home. 

What  could  be  more  sensible  and  straightforward  than  such  a  plan  ? 

Of  course  the  good  old  Schoolmaster  gave  Andrew  the  desired 
permission,  and  everything  ended  happily.  But  the  best  thing  about 
the  whole  affair  was  the  lesson  that  young  Scotch  boy  learned  that 
day. 

And  the  lesson  was  this :  when  we  are  puzzling  our  brains  with 
plans  to  help  ourselves  out  of  our  troubles,  let  us  always  stop  a  mo 
ment  in  our  planning,  and  try  to  think  if  there  is  not  some  simple  way 
out  of  the  difficulty,  which  shall  be  in  every  respect  perfectly  right. 
If  we  do  that  we  will  probably  find  the  way,  and  also  find  it  much 
more  satisfactory  as  well  as  easier  than  any  of  our  ingenious  and 
elaborate  plans. 


WILD   ASSES. 


212  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


THE  WILD  ASS. 

IF  there  is  any  animal  in  the  whole  world  that  receives  worse  treat 
ment  or  is  held  in  less  esteem  than  the  ordinary  Jackass,  I  am  very 
sorry  for  it. 

With  the  exception  of  a  few  warm  countries,  where  this  animal 
grows  to  a  large  size,  and  is  highly  valued,  the  Jackass  or  Donkey  is 
everywhere  considered  a  stupid  beast,  a  lazy  beast,  an  obstinate 
beast,  and  very  often  a  vicious  beast.  To  liken  any  one  to  a  Jackass 
is  to  use  very  strong  language. 

In  many  cases,  this  character  of  the  Donkey  (with  the  exception 
of  the  stupidity,  for  very  few  Donkeys  are  stupid,  although  they  try 
to  seem  so)  is  correct,  but  nevertheless  it  is  doubtful  if  the  animal  is 
much  to  blame  for  it.  There  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  the  dull 
ness  and  laziness  of  the  Donkey  is  owing  entirely  to  his  association 
with  man. 

•For  proof  of  this  assertion,  we  have  but  to  consider  the  Ass  in  his 
natural  state. 

There  can  be  no  reasonable  doubt  but  that  the  domestic  Ass  is 
descended  from  the  Wild  Ass  of  Asia  and  Africa,  for  the  two  animals 
are  so  much  alike  that  it  would  be  impossible,  by  the  eye  alone,  to 
distinguish  the  one  from  the  other. 

But,  except  in  appearance,  they  differ  very  much.  The  tame  Ass 
is  gentle,  and  generally  fond  of  the  society  of  man ;  the  wild  Ass  is 
one  of  the  shyest  creatures  in  the  world ;  even  when  caught  it  is 
almost  impossible  to  tame  him.  The  tame  Ass  is  slow,  plodding, 
dull,  and  lazy ;  the  wild  Ass  is  as  swift  as  a  race-horse  and  as  wild  as 
a  Deer.  The  best  mounted  horsemen  can  seldom  approach  him,  and 
it  is  generally  necessary  to  send  a  rifle -ball  after  him,  if  he  is  wanted 


THE  WILD  ASS.  213 


very  much.  His  flesh  is  considered  a  great  delicacy,  which  is  another 
difference  between  him  and  the  tame  animal. 

If  any  of  you  were  by  accident  to  get  near  enough  to  a  wild  Ass 
to1  observe  him  closely,  you  would  be  very  apt  to  suppose  him  to  be 
one  of  those  long-eared  fellows  which  must  be  beaten  and  stoned 
and  punched  with  sticks,  if  you  want  to  get  them  into  the  least  bit  of 
a  trot,  and  which  always  want  to  stop  by  the  roadside,  if  they  see  so 
much  as  a  cabbage-leaf  or  a  tempting  thistle. 

But  you  would  find  yourself  greatly  mistaken  and  astonished  when, 
as  soon  as  this  wild  creature  discovered  your  presence,  he  went  dash 
ing  away,  bounding  over  the  gullies  and  brooks,  clipping  it  over  the 
rocks,  scudding  over  the  plains,  and  disappearing  in  the  distance  like 
a  runaway  cannon-ball. 

And  yet  if  some  of  these  fleet  and  spirited  animals  should  be  cap 
tured,  and  they  and  their  descendants  for  several  generations  should 
be  exposed  to  all  sorts  of  privations  and  hardships ;  worked  hard  as 
soon  as  their  spirits  were  broken,  fed  on  mean  food  and  very  little  of 
it ;  beaten,  kicked,  and  abused ;  exposed  to  cold  climates,  to  which 
their  nature  does  not  suit  them,  and  treated  in  every  way  as  our  Jack 
asses  are  generally  treated,  they  would  soon  become  as  slow,  poky, 
and  dull  as  any  Donkey  you  ever  saw. 

If  we  have  nothing  else,  it  is  very  well  to  have  a  good  ancestry, 
and  no  nobleman  in  Europe  is  proportionately  as  well  descended  as 
the  Jackass. 


214 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


ANCIENT   RIDING. 


THERE  are  a  great 
many  different  methods 
by  which  we  can  take  a 
ride.  When  we  are  very 
young  we  are  generally 
very  well  pleased  with 
what  most  boys  and 
girls  call  "piggy-back" 
riding,  and  when  we 
get  older  we  delight  in 
horses  and  carriages, 
and  some  of  us  even 
take  pleasure  in  the  mo 
tion  of  railroad  cars. 

Other  methods  are 
not  so  pleasant.  Per 
sons  who  have  tried  it 
say  that  riding  a  Camel, 
a  little  Donkey,  or  a  rail, 
is  exceedingly  disagree 
able  until  you  are  used 
to  it,  and  there  are  va 
rious  other  styles  of 
progression  which  are 
not  nearly  so  comfort 
able  as  walking. 

There  were  in  ancient 


ANCIENT  RIDING.  215 


times  contrivances  for  riding  which  are  at  present  entirely  unknown, 
except  among  half-civilized  nations,  and  which  must  have  been  ex 
ceedingly  pleasant. 

When,  for  instance,  an  Egyptian  Princess  wished  to  take  the  air,  she 
seated  herself  in  a  Palanquin,  which  was  nothing  but  a  comfortable 
chair,  with  poles  at  the  sides,  and  her  bearers,  with  the  ends  of  the 
poles  upon  their  shoulders,  bore  her  gently  and  easily  along,  while 
an  attendant  with  a  threefold  fan  kept  the  sun  from  her  face  and 
gently  fanned  her  as  she  rode. 

Such  a  method  of  riding  must  have  been  very  agreeable,  for  the 
shoulders  of  practised  walkers  impart  to  the  rider  a  much  more  elastic 
and  agreeable  motion  than  the  best  made  springs,  and,  for  a  well  fed, 
lazy  Princess  nothing  could  have  been  more  charming  than  to  be 
borne  thus  beneath  the  waving  palm-trees,  and  by  the  banks  of  the 
streams  where  the  lotus  blossomed  at  the  water's  edge,  and  the  Ibis 
sniffed  the  cooling  breeze. 

But  when  the  father  or  brother  of  the  Princess  wished  to  ride,  es 
pecially  if  it  happened  to  be  a  time  of  war,  he  frequently  used  a  very 
different  vehicle  from  an  easy-going  Palanquin. 

He  sprang  into  his  war-chariot,  and  his  driver  lashed  the  two  fiery 
horses  into  a  gallop,  while  their  master  aimed  his  arrows  or  hurled 
his  javelin  at  the  foe. 

Riding  in  these  chariots  was  not  a  very  great  luxury,  especially  to 
those  who  were  not  accustomed  to  that  kind  of  carriage  exercise. 
There  were  no  seats,  nor  any  springs.  The  riders  were  obliged  to 
stand  up,  and  take  all  the  bumps  that  stones  and  roots  chose  to  give 
them,  and  as  they  generally  drove  at  full  speed,  these  were  doubtless 
many  and  hard.  There  was  in  general  no  back  to  these  Chariots, 
and  a  sudden  jerk  of  the  horses  would  shoot  the  rider  out  behind, 
unless  he  knew  how  to  avoid  such  accidents. 


2l6 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


We  of  the  present  day  would  be  apt  to  turn  up  our  noses  at  these 
ancient  conveyances,  but  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the   Egyptian 


Princesses  and  warriors  derived  just  as  much  pleasure  from  their 
Palanquins  and  rough-going  war-chariots  as  the  ladies  of  to-day  find 
in  an  easy-rolling  barouche,  or  the  gentlemen  in  a  light  buggy  and  a 
fast  horse. 


TRANSFORMATIONS   OF   BEETLES. 


218  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


BEAUTIFUL  BUGS. 

WE  are  not  apt — I  am  speaking  now  of  mankind  in  general — to  be 
very  fond  of  bugs.  There  is  a  certain  prejudice  against  these  little 
creatures,  which  is,  in  very  many  cases,  entirely  unwarranted.  The 
fact  is  that  most  bugs  are  harmless,  and  a  great  many  of  them  are 
positively  beautiful,  if  we  will  but  take  the  trouble  to  look  at  them 
properly,  and  consider  their  wonderful  forms  and  colors.  To  be 
sure,  many  insects  to  which  we  give  the  general  name  of  bugs  are 
quite  destructive  in  our  orchards  and  gardens,  but,  for  all  that,  they 
are  only  eating  their  natural  food,  and  although  we  may  be  very  glad 
to  get  rid  of  our  garden  bugs  as  a  body,  we  can  have  nothing  to  say 
against  any  particular  bug.  None  of  them  are  more  to  blame  than 
the  robins  and  other  birds,  which  eat  our  cherries  and  whatever  else 
we  have  that  they  like,  and  we  never  call  a  robin  "horrid  "  because 
he  destroys  our  fruit.  True,  the  insects  exist  in  such  great  numbers 
that  it  is  absolutely  necessary  for  us  to  kill  as  many  of  them  as  pos 
sible,  and  it  is  very  fortunate  that  the  robins  and  black-birds  are  of 
so  much  benefit  to  us  that  we  are  glad  to  let  them  live. 

But  all  this  should  not  make  us  despise  the  bugs  any  more  than 
they  deserve,  particularly  as  they  are  just  as  beautiful  as  the  birds,  if 
we  only  look  at  them  in  the  right  way.  A  microscope  will  reveal 
beauties  in  some  of  the  commonest  insects,  which  will  positively 
astonish  those  who  have  never  before  studied  bugs  as  they  ought  to 
be  studied.  The  most  brilliant  colors,  the  most  delicate  tracery  and 
lace-work  over  the  wings  and  bodies ;  often  the  most  graceful  forms 
and  beautifully-contrived  limbs  and  bodies  and  wing-cases  and  anten 
nae,  are  to  be  seen  in  many  bugs  when  they  are  placed  beneath  the 
glasses  of  the  microscope. 


BEAUTIFUL  BUGS.  219 


But  there  are  insects  which  do  not  need  the  aid  of  magnifying 
glasses  to  show  us  their  beauties. 

Some  of  the  Beetles,  especially  the  large  ones,  are  so  gorgeously 
colored  and  so  richly  polished  that  they  are  imitated,  as  closely  as  Art 
can  imitate  Nature,  in  precious  stones  and  worn  as  ornaments. 

There  are  few  living  things  more  beautiful  than  a  great  Beetle, 
glittering  in  resplendent  green  and  gold,  and  the  girl  (or  woman 
either)  who  will  hold  one  of  these  in  her  hand  or  let  it  crawl  upon 
her  arm  while  she  examines  its  varied  colors,  shows  a  capacity  for 
perceiving  and  enjoying  the  beauties  of  nature  that  should  be  envied 
by  those  who  would  dash  the  pretty  creature  upon  the  floor,  exclaim 
ing,  "That  horrid  bug  !  " 

There  are  many  insects  with  which  we  need  not  desire  to  be  too 
familiar,  such  as  Mosquitoes,  Fleas,  Wasps,  and  Bees;  but  when  a 
"bug"  is  harmless  as  well  as  beautiful,  there  is  no  reason  why  we 
should  not  treat  it  as  a  friend.  Who  is  afraid  of  a  Butterfly  ? 

And  yet  a  Butterfly  is  really  just  as  much  a  bug  as  a  Beetle  is. 
The  fact  is  that  the  term  "bug"  is  applied  with  a  certain  propriety 
to  many  insects  which  are  not  at  all  pleasant  (although  the  Lightning 
Bug  is  an  exception),  and  we  should  therefore  be  very  careful  about 
giving  what  has  grown  to  be  a  bad  name  to  insects  that  do  not  de 
serve  it,  and  should  avoid  treating  such  as  if  they  were  as  ugly  and 
disagreeable  as  the  name  would  seem  to  imply. 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


A   BATTLE   ON   STILTS. 

IN  the  year  1748  the  great  Marshal  Saxe,  who  was  travelling 
through  the  Low  Countries,  came  to  the  town  of  Namur  in  Belgium. 
There  the  citizens  did  everything  in  their  power  to  make  his  stay 
pleasant  and  to  do  him  honor,  and  among  other  things  they  got  up  a 
battle  on  stilts.  These  inhabitants  of  Namur  were  well  used  to 
stilts,  for  their  town,  which  has  a  river  on  each  side  of  it,  lay  very 
low,  and  was  subject  to  overflows,  when  the  people  were  obliged  to 
use  stilts  in  order  to  walk  about  the  streets.  In  this  way  they 
became  very  expert  in  the  use  of  these  slim,  wooden  legs,  and  to 
make  their  stilts  amusing  as  well  as  useful  they  used  to  have  stilt- 
battles  on  all  holidays  and  great  occasions. 


A  BATTLE  ON  STILTS.  221 

The  young  men  of  the  town,  two  or  three  hundred  on  each  side, 
would  then  form  themselves  into  opposing  armies,  and  with  flags  fly 
ing  and  trumpets  blowing  they  would  advance  to  the  attack. 

And  they  fought  hard  and  well.  It  was  against  the  rule  to  use 
any  club  or  similar  weapon,  or  to  strike  with  the  fists.  Punching 
with  their  elbows,  to  push  each  other  down,  and  kicking  with  their 
stilts,  to  knock  their  opponents'  legs  from  under  them,  were  the 
methods  of  assault  in  this  kind  of  warfare. 

The  battle  often  lasted  for  an  hour  or  two,  the  armies  fighting  and 
shouting,  advancing  and  retreating ;  while  their  wives  and  sisters 
stood  around  them,  encouraging  them  by  shouts  and  hand-clapping, 
and  when  an  unfortunate  fellow  was  knocked  down,  these  women 
would  hasten  to  his  assistance,  and  help  him  up  again  as  soon  as  he 
had  recovered  from  his  fall. 

This  was  pretty  rough  sport,  for  the  combatants  fought  as  if  their 
lives  and  fortunes  depended  upon  the  victory,  and  although  they  did 
not  often  seriously  injure  one  another,  there  must  have  been  many  a 
sore  head  and  bruised  leg  and  arm  after  the  battle  was  over. 

Marshal  Saxe  knew  all  about  fighting,  and  on  this  occasion  he 
declared,  that  if  two  real  armies  should  engage  with  as  much  fury  as 
these  young  fellows  on  stilts,  the  battle  would  be  a  butchery. 

At  another  time,  when  the  Archduke  Albert  came  to  Namur,  the 
citizens  had  one  of  these  stilt-battles,  and  it  proved  a  very  profitable 
one  to  them.  Before  the  fight  began,  the  governor  of  the  city 
promised  the  Archduke  to  show  him  a  battle  between  two  bodies  of 
men,  who  would  be  neither  on  horseback  nor  on  foot ;  and  when  the 
engagement  was  over,  Albert  was  so  much  pleased  that  he  gave  the 
town  the  privilege  of  being  forever  exempt  from  the  duties  on 
l  eer. 

As  the  good  folks  of  Namur  were  nearly  as  good  at  drinking  beer 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


as  they  were  at  walking  on  stilts,  this  was  a  most  valuable  present  for* 
them. 

Things  are  different  in  this  country.  It  is  said  that  in  1859  a  man 
walked  across  the  rapids  of  the  Niagara  river  on  stilts,  but  I  never 
heard  of  any  of  his  taxes  being  remitted  on  that  account. 


DRAWING  THE  LONG  BOW. 


223 


DRAWING  THE   LONG  BOW. 

WHEN  a  man  has  a  bow  and  arrows  as  long  as  those  used  by  some 
of  .the  natives  of  Brazil,  so  that  he  has  to  lie  down  on  his  back,  and 
hold  the  bow  with  his  foot  when  he  shoots,  he  may  well  be  said  to 
draw  a  long  bow,  but  it  is  not  of  these  people  that  I  now  intend  to 
speak.  Without  describing  any  particular  school  of  archery,  I  merely 
wish  to  give  a  few  instances  where  "the  long  bow"  has  been  drawn 
in  words,  about  feats  with  the  bow  and  arrows. 

This  expression,  "  drawing  the  long  bow,"  does  not  always  mean 
that  a  falsehood  has  been  told.  It  often  refers  to  a  very  wonderful 
story,  which  may  be  true  enough,  but  which  is  so  marvellous  that  it 
requires  a  firm  trust  in  the  veracity  of  the  narrator  for  us  to  believe  it. 


224  RO UNDABO UT  RAMBLES. 

So  now  let  us  see  what  long1  bows  have  been  drawn  about  bows 
and  arrows. 

Such  stories  commenced  long  ago.  The  poet  Virgil,  in  the 
"  ALneid,"  tells  of  four  archers  who  were  shooting  for  a  prize,  the 
mark  being  a  pigeon,  tied  by  a  cord  to  the  mast  of  a  ship.  The  first 
man  struck  the  mast  with  his  arrow,  the  second  cut  the  cord,  and  the 
third  shot  the  pigeon  while  it  was  flying  away.  There  now  being 
nothing  for  the  fourth  archer  to  shoot  at,  he  just  drew  his  bow,  and 
sent  his  arrow  flying  towards  the  sky  with  such  velocity  that  the 
friction  of  the  air  set  the  feathers  on  fire,  and  it  swept  on,  like  a  fiery 
meteor,  until  it  disappeared  in  the  clouds. 

It  would  be  very  hard,  even  in  this  progressive  age,  to  beat  that 
story. 

The  Greeks  could  tell  tall  stories,  too,  of  their  archers.  An  his 
torian,  named  Zosimus,  tells  of  a  man  who  shot,  at  the  same  time, 
three  arrows  from  the  same  bow  at  three  different  targets,  and  hit 
them  all !  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  his  histories  contained  some  things 
easier  to  believe  than  this. 

But  as  we  approach  the  present  age  we  still  find  wonderful  narra 
tions  about  archers.  Robin  Hood,  for  instance,  was  a  great  fellow 
with  the  bow.  It  is  said  that  on  one  occasion  he  shot  an  arrow  so 
that  it  fell  a  mile  from  where  he  was  standing !  A  long  shot,  and 
hard  to  be  equalled  by  the  crack  rifles  of  the  present  day. 

Sir  Walter  Scott,  in  "  Ivanhoe,"  introduces  Robin  Hood  under  the 
name  of  Locksley,  and  in  a  shooting  match,  when  his  opponent  had 
planted  his  arrow  right  in  the  centre  of  the  bull's-eye,  and  everybody, 
of  course,  thought  that  nothing  better  than  that  could  be  done,  Mas 
ter  Robin  just  steps  up  and  lets  fly  his  arrow,  driving  it  into  the  arrow 
that  was  sticking  in  the  target,  splitting  it  from  end  to  end ! 

And  then  there  is  that  famous  story  about  William  Tell.     Many 


DRAWING  THE  LONG  BOW.  225 


persons  have  their  doubts  about  this  performance,  and  either  assert 
that  there  never  was  such  a  person  as  Tell,  or  that  no  man  could 
have  confidence  enough  in  his  own  skill  to  shoot  at  an  apple  on  his 
son's  head.  But  I  prefer  to  believe  this  good  old  story,  and,  in  fact, 
I  see  no  good  reason  to  doubt  it.  There  was  a  Dane,  named  Poke, 
of  whom  the  same  story  is  told,  and  an  Englishman,  named  William  of 
Cloudesley,  is  said  to  have  shot  an  apple  from  his  son's  head  merely 
to  show  his  expertness. 

Most  of  the  stories  of  bows  and  arrows  relate  to  the  accurate  aim 
of  the  archers,  but  here  is  one  which  shows  the  tremendous  force  by 
which  an  arrow  may  be  propelled,  if  the  bow  is  strong  and  long 
enough.  A  French  gentleman  named  Blaise  de  Vigenere,  says  that 
he  saw  a  Turk,  named  Barbarossa,  an  admiral  of  a  ship  called  the 
Grand  Solyman,  send  an  arrow  from  his  bow,  right  through  a  cannon- 
ball  !  He  did  not  state  whether  the  cannon-ball  had  a  hole  through 
it,  or  not. 

But  I  think  that  the  most  wonderful,  astounding,  and  altogether 
amazing  story  about  arrow-shooting  is  told  of  the  Indians  who  used 
to  inhabit  Florida.  It  is  stated  that  these  Indians  were  in  the  habit 
of  assembling,  in  parties  of  ten  or  a  dozen,  for  the  purpose  of  having 
some  amusement  in  archery.  They  would  form  themselves  into  a 
circle,  and  one  of  them  throwing  an  ear  of  maize  or  Indian  corn  into 
the  air,  the  rest  would  shoot  at  it  and  would  shell  it  of  every  grain  of 
corn  before  it  fell  to  the  ground.  Sometimes,  the  arrows  would  strike 
it  so  hard  and  fast  that  it  would  remain  suspended  in  the  air  for  several 
minutes,  and  the  cob  never  fell  until  the  very  last  grain  had  been  shot 
from  it ! 

After  such  a  specimen  of  the  drawing  of  the  long  bow  as  this,  it 
would  not  be  well  to  introduce  any  feebler  illustrations,  and  so  I  will 
keep  the  rest  of  my  anecdotal  arrows  in  my  quiver. 
15 


226 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


AN   ANCIENT   THEATRE. 

I  SUPPOSE  you  are  all  familiar  with  pictures  of  the  Colosseum  at 
Rome,  but  unless  you  have  carefully  studied  detailed  descriptions  of 
this  edifice  it  is  impossible  for  you  to  properly  comprehend  the  grand 
style  in  which  the  ancients  amused  themselves. 

This  great  theatre,  the  ruins  of  which  are  now  standing  in  Rome, 
and  which  will  probably  stand  for  hundreds  of  years  longer,  was  built 
nearly  eighteen  hundred  years  ago.  It  is  a  vast  oval  building,  four 
stories  high,  and  capable  of  containing  ninety  thousand  spectators ! 

Seats,  one  row  above  the  other  like  s.teps,  were  placed  around  the 
walls,  from  top  to  bottom.  There  was  no  roof  to  the  building,  and 
if  the  sun  was  hot,  or  it  rained,  the  people  were  obliged  to  shelter 


AN  ANCIENT  THE  A  TRE.  227 

themselves  as  well  as  they  could,  although  it  is  probable  that  the 
seats  for  the  emperors  and  other  great  dignitaries  were  protected  by 
awnings.  In  the  centre  of  the  building,  down  at  the  foot  of  the  seats, 
was  the  great  amphitheatre  where  the  performances  took  place. 
And  wonderful  performances  they  were.  There  were  sometimes 
great  fights  between  lions,  tigers,  bulls,  and  bears ;  sometimes  wild 
beasts  were  slain  by  men,  and  sometimes  men  were  slain  by  wild 
beasts.  There  were  gladiatorial  combats,  executions  of  criminals, 
and  many  other  kinds  of  cruel  and  barbarous  amusements.  When 
the  Colosseum  was  inaugurated,  five  thousand  wild  beasts  were  put 
to  death,  and  afterwards,  at  the  celebration  of  a  great  victory,  eleven 
thousand  animals  perished.  Under  the  ground,  in  two  vast  basement 
stories,  the  beasts  were  kept  in  cages  until  they  were  brought  up  to 
destroy  human  life  or  to  be  butchered  themselves. 

For  six  hundred  years  these  barbarous  games  were  celebrated  in  the 
Colosseum,  but  it  afterwards  became  a  fortress,  and  it  was  used  at  one 
time  for  a  hospital.  When  it  began  to  decay,  many  of  the  inhabitants 
of  Rome  carried  away  portions  of  its  materials  to  build  houses  for 
themselves,  but  such  depredations  have  long  been  forbidden,  and 
now  the  Colosseum  stands,  useless  and  ruined,  a  silent  memento  of 
the  wickedness  of  man.  People  are  bad  enough  in  our  age,  but  the 
day  is  past,  when  ninety  thousand  men,  women,  and  children  could  be 
gathered  together  to  see  other  men,  women,  and  children  torn  and 
devoured  by  lions  and  tigers.  Let  us  hope,  that  by  the  time  the 
Colosseum  has  entirely  crumbled  away,  men  will  no  longer  meet 
in  thousands  to  kill  and  mangle  each  other  on  the  battle-field. 


CORMORANTS. 


BIRD  CHAT.  229 


BIRD    CHAT. 

IN  a  far-off  country,  on  a  summer  day,  it  chanced  that  two  Cor 
morants  stood  on  a  great  rock,  lazily  dozing.  This  rock  was  by  the 
side  of  a  little  river  that,  only  a  few  miles  below,  flowed  into  the  sea ; 
for  the  Cormorant  is  a  marine  bird,  and  haunts  the  sea-coast.  It 
was  a  lovely  place,  although  not  very  far  from  the  habitations  of  men, 
and  a  number  of  cows  had  laid  themselves  down  in  the  grassy  field 
that  surrounded  an  old  ruined  temple  on  the  gentle  slope  of  a  hill 
above  the  .river.  The  day  had  been  still  and  hot,  but  now  a  soft 
breeze  was  stirring  the  long  grasses,  and  bending  the  tassels  of  the 
reeds  gracefully  over  the  water,  and  the  scent  of  flowers  came  floating 
down  from  the  vines  clambering  over  the  old  ruin,  and  the  hum  of 
insects  filled  the  air. 

But  I  do  not  think  the  Cormorants  noticed  any  of  these  things. 
Their  long  necks  were  folded  so  that  their  heads  nearly  rested  on 
their  backs,  for,  as  I  said  before,  they  were  dozing.  The  truth  is, 
these  birds  had  eaten  so  much  they  had  made  themselves  perfectly 
stupid,  which  is  a  bad  way  the  Cormorant  has,  as,  no  doubt,  you 
know ;  for  it  has  probably  happened  to  you  some  time  in  your  life  to 
have  indulged  yourself  so  freely  in  eating  something  that  you  liked 
that  you  have  been  scornfully  called  "  a  little  Cormorant ! " 

But  this  state  of  insensibility  was  passing  away,  and  they  were  now 
in  a  gentle  doze,  and  sleeping,  thinking  of  the  company  they  were  to 
entertain.  For  these  Cormorants  had  come  to  this  spot  to  meet  their 
cousin  the  Pelican  to  consult  with  him  on  some  family  matters.  Upon 
their  first  arrival  at  the  place  they  had  set  to  work  to  get  together  a 
"good  supply  of  fish,  for  this  is  the  only  food  of  both  the  Cormorant 
and  the  Pelican.  In  a  short  time  they  landed  a  great  number,  and 


230 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


bestowed  them  in  a  safe  place,  and  then  they  set  to  work  catching 
fish  for  themselves  and  eating  them  greedily. 

You  might  suppose  such  a  lazy-looking  bird  would  find  it  impos 
sible  to  catch  anything  so  active  as  fish.  But  you  should  see  it  when 
it  is  fully  awake  and  hungry.  The  bird  darts  through  the  water  with 
a  speed  greater  than  that  of  the  fishes.  Its  wings  can  be  closed  so 
tightly  that  they  do  not  hinder  its  progress,  and  the  tail  serves  for 
a  rudder,  while  the  broadly-webbed  feet  act  as  paddles.  Its  long, 
snake-like  neck  gives  it  the  power  of  darting  its  beak  with  great  rapid 
ity,  and  the  hook  at  the  end 
of  the  beak  prevents  the 
prey  from  escaping.  The 
bird  is  also  a  diver,  and 
can  stay  a  long  time  under 
water. 

Our  two  Cormorants 
opened  their  eyes  when 
they  heard  a  slight  splash 
ing  in  the  water.  Some 
thing  was  about  to  invade 
their  retreat.  They  had 
not  long  to  wait.  Slowly 
into  the  stream  waded  a 
Bittern.  Seeing  the  Cor 
morants  there  he  stopped, 
and,  drawing  himself  up 
into  as  small  a  compass  as 
possible,  he  sunk  his  head 
in  his  shoulders,  and  noth-' 
ing  could  be  seen  of  his  long  neck,  while  his  bill  was  thrust  up 


BIRD  CHAT. 


2.3  r 


in  the  air  as  if  he  cared  nothing  for  his  neighbors  or  their  affairs. 
The  Cormorants  heartily  wished  he  would  go  away,  and  they  kept? 
their  eyes  open  and  watched  him,  for  fear  he  would  spy  the  fish  they, 
had  carefully  hidden  in  the  wet  grass,  for  the  Bittern  also  lives  on  fish. 
So  the  Cormorants  winked  and  blinked,  and  thought  how  different 
the  Bittern  looked  when  on  the  alert  for  his  prey,  or  calling  his  mate. 
Many  a  time  had  they  been  roused  out  of  their  sleep  by  the  terri 
ble  night-cry  of  the  Bittern — a  fearful  sound,  something  between  the 
neighing  of  a  horse,  the  bellow  of  a  bull,  and  a  shriek  of  savage 
laughter,  and  so  loud  and  deep  it  seemed  to  shake  the  marshy 
ground. 


232  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

Soon  there  appeared  hovering  over  them  a  snowy  cloud.  As  it 
I  floated  nearer  it  proved  to  be  a  magnificent  Pelican  with  its  gigantic 
wings  outspread.  <.  It  alighted  near  the  Cormorants,  at  the  foot  of  a 
little  grassy  hill.  It  was  an  old  male  bird,  very  wise  and  very  cun 
ning.  He  greeted  his  cousin  Cormorants  cordially,  but,  ruffling  up 
the  crest  of  curled  feathers  on  his  head,  and  shaking  his  half- folded 
wings,  angrily,  he  looked  askance  at  the  Bittern. 

Now  the  Bittern  is  a  very  unsocial  bird,  and  as  he  took  not  the  least 
notice  of  the  new  comer,  the  Pelican  could  not  pick  a  quarrel 
with  him.  Therefore  he  turned  to  his  cousins,  and  said :  "  I  have 
just  come  from  my  pleasant  home  on  a  rocky  island.  The  waters 
make  music  there  all  day  long,  and  the  green  moss  gleams  through 
the  white  foam,  and  gay-colored  fish  sparkle  in  the  sunlight ;  so 
that  when  men  behold  it  they  exclaim :  '  See  !  what  a  beautiful  spot ! ' 
There  are  some  birds  that  like  dingy  pools,  where  only  coarse  rushes 
grow,  where  there  is  nothing  but  blight  and  mildew,  where  even 
carrion  crows  will  not  fly,  and  at  which  men  shudder." 

Now  this  exactly  described  the  places  the  Bittern  prefers  to  all 
others ;  but,  as  he  really  considered  them  very  captivating,  and  hated 
the  very  sight  of  mankind,  he  did  not  feel  abashed  by  the  Pelican's 
stinging  rebuke,  and  perhaps  took  it  for  a  compliment ;  and  there  is 
no  knowing  how  long  he  would  have  staid  there,  if  a  frisky  little 
Hoopoe  had  not  chanced  to  alight  on  a  tree  that  had  fallen  across  a 
foaming  brook  not  very  far  from  the  group  of  birds. 

Not  liking  so  much  company,  the  Bittern  stalked  away.  The 
Hoopoe  nodded  so  often  to  the  birds  that  its  beautiful  tall  crest  trem 
bled  as  if  a  breeze  stirred  it,  and  having  preened  its  prettily-barred 
feathers  for  awhile,  it  began  to  talk  as  fast  as  ever  it  could. 

"  I  have  came  from  a  long  distance,  and  only  stopped  twice  on  my 
way  to  get  a  meal  of  insects,  which  I  can  dig  out  of  decaying  wood 


BIRD  CHAT. 


*33 


with  my  long  curved  beak,  very  fast,  I  can  tell  you.    And  what  do  you 
think  I  saw  in  that  place  I  came  from  ?     You  would  never  guess. 
Why,  men  had  some  pet  Cormorants  that  they  had  trained  to  catch 
fish  for  them !  Oh !  it  was 
fun !     And    I    heard   these 
men  say  that  in  the  days  of 
Charles    I.    of  England  (I 
hope  you  know  who  he  is, 
for  I'm  sure  I  don't),  Cormo 
rants  were  kept  by  nobles 
and  kings  for  the  purpose 
of  catching   fish,  and   that 
there  was   attached  to  the 
Court  an  officer  called  the 
King's  Master  of  the  Cor 
morants.  Did  you  ever  hear 
the  like  of  that  ?  " 

Although  this  was  strict 
ly  true,  the  Cormorants  had 
never  heard  of  it ;  but,  be 
fore  they  could  answer,  a 
loud,  deep  voice  cried; 
"  Heigho !  What  is  all 
that?" 

The  startled  birds  turned  towards  the  spot  from  whence  the  voice 
proceeded,  and  there,  perched  on  a  lonely  rock,  a  good  distance  to  the 
left  of  them,  was  a  great  bird  with  very  large  bright  eyes  and  power 
ful  curved  beak. 

Neither  the  Hoopoe  nor  Pelican  had  ever  before  seen  him,  but  the 
Cormorants  knew  him  very  well.  He  was  the  Peregrine  Falcon. 


234 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


And  they  knew  him  because,  like  them,  he  chose  rocky  ledges,  high 
and  inaccessible,  for  his  nest.  And  although  his  nests  were  usually 
on  loftier  crags  than  theirs,  they  were  quite  neighborly,  especially  as 


they  did  not  chase  the  same  prey,  the  Cormorants  drawing  theirs 
from  the  sea,  and  the  Falcons  finding  theirs  in  the  air. 

"  Those  people  you  speak  of,"  said  he  sternly  to  the  frightened 
Hoopoe,  "  may  have  had  Cormorants  to  catch  their  fish,  but  I  never 
heard  of  it  before.  Whereas  all  history  is  full  of  the  exploits  of  my 


BIRD  CHAT.  235 


ancestors,  and  monarchs  and  nobles  spent  immense  fortunes  in  buying 
and  keeping  Falcons  that  hunted  birds  grandly." 

Now  the  Hoopoe  knew  very  well  that  it  was  not  this  Falcon, 
but  the  great  Gerfalcon,  his  cousin,  that  was  formerly  held  in  such 
high  esteem ;  but  he  did  not  dare  to  say  so,  and,  as  he  must  be  say 
ing  something,  he  turned  to  the  Pelican. 

"  I  have  long  wanted  to  meet  with  you  to  ask  you  if  is  true  that  you 
tear  open  your  breast  with  your  hooked  bill,  and  feed  your  young 
with  your  own  blood  ? " 

"  Not  a  word  of  truth  in  it !  "  replied  the  Pelican  scornfully.  "  I 
am  often  obliged  to  gather  food  in  places  far  from  home.  I  do  not 
dive  into  the  water  like  the  Cormorant,  but  catch,  with  a  side 
long  snatch  of  my  bill,  the  fish  that  rise  to'  the  surface.  This  loose 
skin,  that  is  now  so  folded  up  under  my  beak  that  you  can  scarcely 
see  it,  I  can  distend  into  an  enormous  pouch.  This  I  fill  with  fish, 
and  my  wings  being  wide  and  powerful,  I  can  easily  carry  a  great 
weight  of  fish  through  the  air.  When  I  reach  home  I  feed  my  young 
by  pressing  my  beak  against  my  breast,  and  thus  forcing  out  the  en 
closed  fish.  And  on  the  tip  of  my  beak  is  a  little  curved  hook  as 
red  as  a  drop  of  blood.  And  now  you  know  the  whole  story." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  the  Hoopoe,  "  I  must  go  and  tell  the  storks  all 
about  it."  And  away  he  darted  like  a  streak  of  colored  light.  The 
Falcon,  too,  lazily  spread  out  his  large  wings,  and  soared  majestically 
up  into  the  air,  leaving  the  Pelican  and  Cormorants  to  discuss  their 
family  affairs  and  their  dinner  in  peace. 


236  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


MUMMIES. 

A  MUMMY  is  not  a  very  pretty  thing  to  look  at;  but,  considered 
properly,  it  is  certainly  interesting.  That  stiff  form,  wrapped  up  tightly 
in  ever  so  many  dirty  cloths,  with  a  black  shrivelled  face  which  looks 
as  if  it  had  been  cut  out  of  a  piece  of  wood  and  then  smoked,  was 
once,  no  doubt,  a  very  pleasant  person  to  know.  If  it  was  a  woman, 
•it  played  with  the  children  ;  sewed  a  little,  perhaps ;  complained  of 
the  heat,  and  went  to  parties.  If  it  was  a  man,  it  probably  whistled 
a  little,  and  sang ;  settled  up  its  accounts,  was  fond  of  horses,  and 
took  an  interest  in  the  vegetable  garden. 

Most  of  the  mummies  that  have  been  brought  from  Egypt  to  this 
country  were  originally  kings,  princes,  princesses,  noblemen,  and 
priests,  for  few  but  those  high-born  folks  could  afford  to  be  so  well 
preserved  as  to  last  all  this  time ;  but  it  is  very  certain  that  none  of 
them  ever  imagined  that,  thousands  of  years  after  their  death,  they 
would  be  carried  away  to  countries  never  heard  of  in  their  day,  and 
be  gazed  at  by  people  who  wore  chignons  and  high-top  hats,  and  who 
were  not  born  until  they  had  been  dead  three  thousand  years. 

When  we  consider  the  care  and  skill  with  which  the  dead  Egyptians 
used  to  be  embalmed  and  encased  in  their  sarcophagi,  it  is  not  sur 
prising  that  their  poor  bodies  have  been  so  well  preserved.  At  the 
head  of  this  article  you  see  a  mummy  as  it  appears  when  it  has  been 


MUMMIES. 


237 


embalmed  and  wrapped  in  its  bandages.     Here  is  the  stand  on  which 
it  is  then  placed. 


Very  often,  when  the  body  had  been  a  king  or  some  great  person 
age,  its  face  was  covered  with  a  mask  of  thin  gold,  and  its  bandages 
were  ornamented  with  pictures  and  inscriptions. 


When  this  work  of  decoration  was  completed,  it  was  placed  in  a 
coffin  which  was  made  large  enough  to  hold  the  stand. 

This  coffin  was  very  handsomely  ornamented,  and  then,  in  order  to 


238  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

make  everything  very  secure  indeed,  it  was  enclosed  in  another  or 
exterior  coffin,  which  was  also  decorated  in  the  highest  style  known 
to  Egyptian  artists. 


One  would  now  suppose  that  this  great  king  or  priest  was  safe 
enough,  looking  at  the  matter  in  an  ordinary  light.  But  the  Egyp 
tians  did  not  look  at  these  matters  in  ordinary  lights.  Quite  other 
wise.  They  intended  the  useless  bodies  of  their  grandees  to  be 
packed  away  so  that  they  should  not  be  disturbed  as  long  as  the 
world  lasted,  little  dreaming  of  the  Americans  and  Europeans  who 
would  come  along,  in  a  few  thousand  years,  and  buy  them  for  their 
museums. 

So  they  put  the  mummy,  with  its  stand  and  its  two  coffins,  into  a 
great  stone  box  called  a  sarcophagus,  and  this  was  fastened  and 
plastered  up  so  as  to  seem  like  one  solid  rock. 

Then,  if  the  inmate  had  ever  done  anything  wonderful  (or  some 
times,  no  doubt,  if  he  had  not  been  famous  for  anything  in  particular), 


MUMMIES. 


239 


the  history  of  his  great  achievements,  real  or  fancied,  was  sculptured 
on  the  stone.     These  hieroglyphics  have  been  deciphered  in  several 


instances,  and  we  have  learned  from  them  a  great  deal  of  Egyptian 
history. 

Dead  poor  people,  as  well  as  kings  and  princes,  were  made  into 
mummies  in  Egypt,  but  they  were  not  preserved  by  such  costly 
means  as  those  I  have  mentioned.  After  they  had  been  embalmed, 
they  were  wrapped  up  as  well  as  the  means  of  their  relatives  would 
allow,  and  were  placed  in  tombs  and  vaults,  sometimes  with  but  one 
coffin,  and  sometimes  without  any. 

In  many  cases  the  mummy  was  not  buried  at  all,  but  kept  in  the 
house  of  the  family,  so  that  the  friends  and  relatives  could  always 
have  it  with  them.  This  may  have  been  very  consoling  to  the 
ancient  Egyptians,  but  to  us  it  seems  a  truly  mournful  custom. 

And  it  is  by  no  means  distressing  to  think,  that  though  the  people 
who  may  be  in  this  country  three  thousand  years  hence  may  pos 
sibly  find  some  of  our  monuments,  they  will  discover  none  of  our 
bodies. 


240 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


TAME   SNAKES. 

WE  have  often  heard  of  the  tamed  snakes  belonging  to  the  serpent- 
charmers  of  India  and  Africa,  but  it  is  seldom  that  the  harmless  ser 
pents  of  civilized  countries  have  been  domesticated.  But  the  common 
snake,  sometimes  called  the  garter-snake,  which  harmlessly  shows 
its  dark  green  and  yellow  colors  among  the  grass  and  bushes,  has 
been  tamed  and  has  shown  quite  a  fair  amount  of  respect  and  affec 
tion  for  its  human  friends. 

A  French  writer  relates  that  he  knew  a  lady  who  had  a  snake 
which  was  so  tame  that  it  came  when  it  was  called,  followed  its  mis 
tress  about,  climbed  up  into  her  lap,  and  gave  many  signs  of  know- 


TAME  SNAKES.  241 


ing-  and  liking  her.  It  would  even  swim  after  her  when  she  threw  it 
into  the  water  from  a  boat.  But  this  last  feat  proved  fatal  to  it,  for 
once  swimming  thus  and  endeavoring  to  keep  up  with  the  boat,  the 
tide  became  too  strong  for  it,  and  it  was  carried  away  and  drowned. 

I  am  very  much  afraid  that  that  lady  did  not  deserve  even  as  much 
affection  as  the  snake  gave  her. 

The  boys  and  girls  in  France  sometimes  amuse  themselves  by 
getting  up  a  snake-team. 


A:. 


They  tie  strings  to  the  tails  of  two  common  harmless  snakes,  and 
then  they  drive  them  about,  using  a  whip  (I  hope  gently)  to  make 
these  strange  steeds  keep  together  and  go  along  lively. 

It  is  said  that  snakes  which  have  been  played  with  in  this  way 
soon  begin  to  like  their  new  life,  and  will  allow  the  children  to  do 
/what  they  please  with  them,  showing  all  the  time  the  most  amiable 
disposition. 

There  is  nothing  very  strange  in  a  tamed  snake.  Toads,  tortoises, 
spiders,  and  many  other  unpromising  animals  have  been  known  to 
show  a  capacity  for  human  companionship,  and  to  become  quite  tame 
and  friendly.  In  fact,  there  are  very  few  animals  in  the  world  that  can 
not  be  tamed  by  man,  if  man  is  but  kind  enough  and  patient  enough. 
16 


242 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


GYMNASTICS. 

EVERY  one  who  has  a  body  that  is  worth  anything  at  all,  ought  to 
do  his  best  to  keep  it  in  good  order,  and  there  is  no  better  way  of 
attaining  this  desirable  object  than  by  a  proper  course  of  gymnastics. 
And  to  know  just  what  is  proper  for  certain  ages  and  certain  indivi 
duals,  demands  a  great  deal  of  thought  and  judgment.  Improper 
gymnastics  are  much  worse  than  none.  We  can  generally,  however, 
find  those  who  are  able  to  advise  us  in  regard  to  the  exercise  we 
ought  to  take. 

This  necessity  of  training  the  body  as  well  as  the  mind  has  been 
recognized  from  the  earliest  ages,  and  the  ancient  Greeks  and 
Romans  paid  as  much  attention  to  their  gymnasiums  as  they  did  to 
their  academies ;  and  from  their  youth,  their  boys  and  girls  were 
taught  those  exercises  which  develop  the  muscles  and  ensure  good 

health.  Some  of  their  methods, 
however,  were  not  exactly  the  most 
praiseworthy.  For  instance,  they 
would  encourage  their  youngsters 
to  fight. 

This  engraving,  copied  from  an 
ancient  picture,  shows  how  spiritedly 
the  children  practised  this  exercise. 
It  would  have  been  better  if  the 
individual  with  the  stick  had  laid  it 
over  the  backs  of  the  young  combatants,  instead  of  using  it  to  direct 
their  struggles. 

There  are  three  kinds  of  gymnastics.  By  the  first  we  take  exer 
cise,  simply  for  the  sake  of  the  good  we  gain  from  it ;  by  the  second 


GYMNASTICS.  243 


we  combine  pleasure  with  our  muscular  exertion ;  and  the  third  kind 
of  gymnastics  is  practised  for  the  sake  of  making  money. 

The  exercises  of  the  first  division  are  carried  on  in  regular  gym 
nasiums  or  at  home,  and  consist  of  exercises  with  dumb-bells,  bars, 
suspended  rings,  poles,  and  many  other  appliances  with  which  most 
boys  and  girls  are  familiar.  Regular  practice  in  a  good  gymnasium, 
under  the  direction  of  a  competent  teacher,  is  considered,  by  those 
who  best  understand  the  education  of  young  people,  an  exceedingly 
necessary  part  of  their  education,  and  gymnastic  instruction,  both  for 
boys  and  girls,  is  becoming  more  popular  every  year. 

We  need  give  but  little  time  to  this  well  understood  division  of 
gymnastics,  but  will  pass  at  once  to  the  second  class,  where  diversion 
and  exercise  are  combined.  This  is  by  far  the  best  method  of  gain 
ing  health  and  strength,  and  should  be  preferred  by  all  instructors 
whenever  it  is  possible  to  adopt  it. 

It  is  of  no  use  to  say  anything  in  favor  of  this  plan  to  the  boys  and 
girls  themselves,  for  they  never  fail  to  choose  that  form  of  exercise 
which  has  a  good  deal  of  play  in  it.  And  it  is  well  they  like  it,  for 
they  will  get  more  benefit  from  an  hour  of  good,  vigorous  play,  than 
from  many  lessons  in  the  monotonous  exercises  in  use  in  the 
gymnasiums. 

I  shall  not  now  speak  of  the  lively  games  of  boys  and  girls,  by 
which  their  cheeks  grow  rosy  and  their  legs  and  arms  grow  strong, 
for  we  all  know  enough  about  them,  but  I  will  describe  some  of  the 
athletic  sports  of  grown-up  folks.  There  are  a  great  many  of  these, 
some  of  which  are  of  great  antiquity.  Wrestling,  boxing,  vaulting, 
foot-racing,  and  similar  exercises  have  been  popular  for  thousands  of 
years,  and  are  carried  on  now  with  the  same  spirit  as  of  old. 

Out-door  sports  differ  very  much  in  different  countries.  In  the 
United  States  the  great  game  is,  at  present,  base-ball ;  in  England 


244 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


cricket  is  preferred,  and  Scotland  has  athletic  amusements  peculiar  to 
itself.  In  the  latter  country  a  very  popular  game  among  the  strong 
folks  is  called  "throwing  the  hammer." 

These  hammers  are 
not  exactly  what  their 
name  implies,  being 
heavy  balls  of  brass  or 
iron,  fitted  to  a  long 
handle.  The  hammer 
is  whirled  around  the 
head  several  times  and 
then  thrown  as  far  as 
possible.  The  man  who 
throws  it  to  the  great 
est  distance  wins  the 
game. 

Another  game,  very 
much  of  this  order,  con 
sists  in  tossing  a  heavy 
stone,  instead  of  a 
hammer.  The  Scotch 
call  this  game  "putting 
the  stone,"  sometimes 
using  stones  that  might 
be  called  young  rocks, 
and  they  "put"  or 
throw  them  in  a  differ 
ent  way  from  the  peo 
ple  of  other  countries 
where  the  game  is  pop- 


GYMNASTICS. 


245 


ular.  In  some  of  the  mountainous  regions  of  the  continent  of 
Europe  the  game  is  played  in  the  manner  shown  in  the  accompany 
ing  engraving. 


But  it  is  impossible,  in  a  short  article  like  this,  even  to  allude  to  all 
the  different  kinds  of  athletic  games,  and  I  will  now  notice  some  of 
the  gymnastics  by  which  people  make  a  living. 

Rope-walkers,  circus-riders,  and  acrobats  of  every  kind  are  now  so 
common,  that  a  description  of  their  ordinary  performances  is  unneces 
sary.  They  are  found  on  every  portion  of  the  globe,  some  of  the 
most  proficient  being  now  seen  in  China  and  Japan. 

If  any  of  you  have  seen  the  Japanese  troupe  of  acrobats  with 
which  "  Little  Allright "  was  connected,  you  will  understand  to  what  a 


246 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


high  state  of  perfection 
physical  exercises  may 
be  brought  by  people 
who  give  up  their  whole 
lives  to  the  study  and 
practice  of  their  various 
feats. 

In  Europe  and  this 
country  very  remarka 
ble  gymnastic  perfor 
mers  have  appeared  be 
fore  the  public. 

About  the  middle  of 
the  last  century,  there 
lived  in  Derby,  Eng 
land,  a  man  by  the  name 
of  Thomas  Topham, 
who  performed  in  pub 
lic  some  wonderful  feats 
of  strength.  At  one 
time  he  lifted,  by  a 
band  passed  over  his 
shoulders,  three  great 
casks  of  water  which  col 
lectively  weighed  1,836 
pounds. 

He  had  a  platform 
built  for  this  performance,  which  was  constructed  in  such  a  way 
that  he  could  use  the  whole  power  of  his  body  and  limbs.  In 
this  feat,  however,  he  has  been  surpassed  by  Dr.  Winship,  of 


GYMNASTICS. 


247 


Boston,  who  has  lifted,  in  public,  heavier  weights  than  Topham  ever 
attempted. 

The   latter,  however,  was    enormously  strong,  and  performed   a 
great  many  feats   which 
made  him  quite  famous 
throughout  England. 

A  favorite  exhibition  of 
public  acrobats  is  that 
of  pyramids,  pillars,  and 
other  tall  edifices,  built  of 
men,  instead  of  bricks  and 
stones.  The  Venetians 
used  to  be  very  expert 
and  artistic  in  their  ar 
rangement  of  these  exhi 
bitions,  and  the  men  com 
posing  the  human  edifice 
stood  as  immovably  and 
gracefully  as  if  they  had 
been  carved  out  of  solid 
stone,  instead  of  being 
formed  of  flesh  and  blood. 

This  performance  has 
been  made  quite  common 
in  late  years,  and  I 
have  seen  the  celebrated 
"Arabs"  and  other  acro 
bats  pile  themselves  up 
in  a  most  astonishing 
manner. 


248 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


One  of  the  most  popular,  and  at  the  same  time  dangerous,  of  all 
public  gymnastic  exhibitions,  is  that  of  rope-walking,  and  most  mar 
vellous  feats  on  the  tight-rope  have  been  performed  in  many  parts  of 

the  world.  Even  in 
Greece  and  Rome,  men 
practised  this  form  of 
gymnastics.  In  later 
days  no  one  has  be 
come  more  famous  than 
Blondin,  who  crossed 
the  Niagara  River  on  a 
tight-rope,  performing 
all  sorts  of  eccentric 
feats  while,  balanced  on 
his  slender  support. 
He  carried  a  man  over 
1  on  his  shoulders ;  he 
wheeled  a  wheelbarrow 
across ;  he  walked  the 
rope  blindfolded,  and 
did  many  other  things 
which  would  be  very 
difficult  to  most  people, 
even  if  they  were  stand 
ing  on  solid  ground 
instead  of  being  poised 
on  a  slender  rope 
stretched  high  above 
the  waters  of  a  rapid 
river.  In  this  country, 


GYMNASTICS.  249 


however,  the  taste  for  out-door  and  dangerous  rope-walking  is  not  so 
general  as  it  is  in  some  countries  of  Europe,  where  it  is  quite  common 
to  see  acrobats  walking  on  ropes  stretched  from  the  top  of  one  high 
building,  or  steeple,  to  another.  In  Venice,  for  instance,  rope-dancers 
have  often  skipped  and  played  on  ropes  reaching  from  the  summits 
of  two  of  the  loftiest  towers  of  that  beautiful  city. 

The  Turks  were  once  noted  for  their  great  proficiency  in  rope 
walking,  but  they  have  been  equalled  by"  Japanese,  European,  and 
American  performers.  Many  women  have  been  famous  in  this  line, 
and  a  Madame  Sacqui,  a  Frenchwoman,  was  such  an  expert  artist 
that  one  of  her  countrymen  likened  her  to  a  "  Homeric  goddess" — 
(although  I  do  not  know  how  Juno  or  Minerva  would  have  looked 
on  a  tight-rope),  and  asserted  that  her  boldness  and  agility  were  the 
glory  of  .the  First  Empire!  This  infatuated  Frenchman  must  have 
considered  glory  to  have  been  very  scarce  in  his  country  in  Madame 
Sacqui's  day.  There  was  a  French  baby,  however,  who  surpassed 
this  lady,  for  the  little  one  walked  on  the  tight-rope  before  she  could 
walk  on  the  ground,  and  afterwards  became  famous  enough  to  per 
form,  in  1814,  before  an  assembly  of  kings — the  allied  sovereigns  of 
Europe. 

The  public  performers  of  different  kinds  of  gymnastic  feats  often 
make  a  great  deal  of  money ;  but  they  sometimes  break  their  necks, 
and  frequently  injure  their  health  by  over-exertion. 

So  that  exercises  for  health  and  amusement  are  the  only  kinds  of 
gymnastics  that  I  recommend. 


250 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


BUYING  "THE  MIRROR." 

Miss  HARPER  came  into  the  •  room  where  George  and  Mary  Conly 
and  Ella  Lee  were  playing  with  jack-straws.  They  had  played  every 
thing  else  they  could  think  of,  and,  feeling  tired,  had  quietly  settled 
themselves  down  to  jack-straws.  They  could  have  amused  them 
selves  from  morning  until  night  out  of  doors  without  being  weary ; 
but  Mr.  Conly's  house  was  in  the  city,  and  had  such  a  tiny  bit  of  a 
yard  that  only  fairies  could  have  got  up  a  frolic  in  it.  When  they 


were  in  the  country  there  were  so  many  things  they  could  do,  and 
when  they  were  tired  running  about,  there  was  the  see-saw  on  the 
big  log  under  the  old  elm. 

But  they  were  not  in  the  country  now,  and  children  have  not  the 
spirit  to  keep  up  their  sports  in  the  house  as  they  do  out  of  doors. 


BUYING  "THE  MIRROR."  251 

So,  when  Miss  Harper  appeared  with  a  book  in  her  hand,  George 
and  Mary  sprang  up  from  the  table  in  delight,  and  exclaimed : 

"  Oh,  cousin  Fanny !  are  you  going  to  read  to  us  ? " 

"  Yes,"  said  Miss  Harper,  "  I  thought  you  would  like  to  hear  some 
more  of  those  pretty  stories  I  read  to  you  yesterday." 

"  That  we  will ! "  cried  George,  skipping  about  the  room,  while 
Mary,  with  eyes  sparkling  with  pleasure,  hastily  raked  the  jack-straws 
into  a  pile. 

"We  can  both  get  into  this  big  chair,  Ella,"  she  said,  "  and  then  we 
can  hear  cumfible." 

Now  Ella  would  much  rather  have  played  jack-straws,  for  she 
thought  listening  to  reading  was  very  dull  business  indeed ;  but  she 
was  a  polite  little  girl,  which  is  pretty  much  the  same  thing  as  saying 
she  was  not  selfish,  and  seeing  that  George  and  Mary  were  so 
pleased,  and  expected  her  to  be  so  also,  she  made  no  objection,  and 
climbed  up  into  the  big  chair,  and  found  it  "  cumfible,"  as  Mary  had 
said. 

"  It  will  be  awfully  stupid,"  she  thought,  "  and  this  chair  is  so  nice 
I  am  afraid  I'll  go  to  sleep,  and  mamma  says  that  is  very  rude  when 
any  one  is  reading  or  talking  to  you." 

You  see  Ella  had  not  learned  to  be  fond  of  books.  Her  parents 
had  not  been  in  the  habit  of  reading  to  her,  and,  although  in  school 
she  could  read  books  that  had  quite  long  words  in  them,  still  she 
could  not  read  with  sufficient  ease  to  make  it  a  pleasure  to  her. 

But  she  did  not  go  to  sleep,  but,  on  the  contrary,  got  wider  and 
wider  awake.  The  stories  were  all  short,  so  that  when  the  end  came 
she  remembered  the  beginning  perfectly,  and  they  were  such  lovely 
stories  about  little  fairies,  and  how  they  helped  children  to  be 
good,  that  Ella  was  very  sorry  when  the  servant  came  to  take  her 
home. 


252  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

"  I  thank  you  very  much,  Miss  Harper,  for  reading  to  us,"  she  said. 
"  Will  you  please  tell  me  the  name  of  the  book  ? " 

"  It  is  '  The  Mirror/  "  said  Miss  Harper,  "  and  I  will  read  to  you 
often  if  you  will  come  to  see  us." 

Ella  thought  about  the  book  all  the  way  home,  but  she  was  so 
tired  she  was  glad  to  go  to  bed  after  supper,  and  the  next  morning 
she  had  no  time  before  school'  to  say  anything  to  her  mother  about 
the  wonderful  "  Mirror." 

But  after  dinner  there  was  a  pleasant  surprise  for  her.  Her  father 
called  her  into  his  study,  and,  taking  her  up,  kissed  her  tenderly, 
and  said  :  "  I  saw  your  teacher  yesterday,  and  she  gave  me  such  a 
good  account  of  my  little  girl  that  I  am  very  much  pleased  with  her. 
And  now,  if  there  is  anything  you  would  particularly  like  to  have,  I 
will  get  it  for  you,  if  it  does  not  cost  too  much.  Think  a  moment, 
now  !  Don't  be  in  a  hurry !  " 

"  Oh,  papa,"  exclaimed  Ella,  "  I  don't  need  to  think  a  bit !  I  know 
what  I  want !  I  do  so  want  to  have  a  '  Mirror ! ' ' 

"  A  what?  "  said  Mr.  Lee,  suddenly  putting  Ella  down  on  the  floor. 

"A  '  Mirror,'  papa.  When  will  you  get  it  for  me  ?  Oh  !  I  am  so 
glad !  "  And  she  clapped  her  little  hands  softly  together. 

"  You  are  a  very  little  girl  to  be  so  vain,"  said  Mr.  Lee  gravely, 
"  but  as  I  said  you  should  have  what  you  wanted,  I  will  keep  my 
promise.  Go  and  dress  yourself,  and  we  will  get  it  this  very  after 
noon." 

Ella  was  so  full  of  her  own  happy  thoughts  that  she  did  not  notice 
what  he  said  about  her  being  vain,  or  that  he  looked  displeased,  and 
she  skipped  merrily  away  to  be  dressed.  In  a  short  time  she  had 
hold  of  her  father's  hand,  and  was  walking  down  Broadway,  looking 
in  at  the  shop  windows,  and  talking  as  fast  as  her  little  tongue 
could  go. 


BUYING  "THE  MIRROR."  25 3- 

Mr.  Lee,  who  knew  nothing  about  the  book  with  such  a  queer  title, 
and  supposed  his  daughter  wanted  a  mirror  in  which  to  look  at  her 
self,  began  to  hope  that,  as  Ella  stopped  so  often  to  admire  the  pretty 
things  in  the  windows,  she  would  see  something  she  would  prefer  for 
a  present.  For,  though  it  is  a  very  proper  thing  to  look  in  the  glass 
to  see  that  one's  face  is  clean,  and  hair  smooth,  he  did  not  like  it  that 
his  daughter  should  want  a  looking-glass  above  everything  in  the 
world. 

•'  O,  papa,  isn't  that  a  lovely  baby  ? "  And  Ella  paused  in  admira 
tion  before  a  wax  doll. 

"  Yes,"  said  Mr.  Lee,  eagerly.  "  Would  not  you  rather  have  that 
pretty  baby  than  a  mirror  ?  " 

Ella  considered  for  a  moment.  She  had  a  dolly  she  loved,  though 
she  was  not  as  pretty  as  this  one. 

"  No,  papa,  I'd  rather  have  a  '  Mirror.'  It  will  be  so  nice  to  have 
one  of  my  own.  I  hope  you  know  where  to  go  to  get  it  ?  "  she 
added  anxiously. 

"  Certainly,"  said  Mr.  Lee,  rather  sharply,  "  I  know  just  where 
to  go." 

And  so  they  went  on  by  windows  filled  with  floating  ribbons,  and 
shining  silks  ;  and  others  where  there  were  glittering  jewels,  and  some 
of  the  rings  small  enough  for  Ella's  fingers ;  and  others  where  there 
were  white  fur  capes  spread  out,  with  muffs  that  had  such  gay  linings, 
ind  tassels  ;  and  windows  hung  to  the  very  top  with  toys,  and  some 
of  them  such  cunning  ones — mice  that  could  be  made  to  run  and 
squeak,  and  jumping  frogs — but  none  of  these  things  would  Ella 
have.  At  last  they  came  to  one  all  filled  with  flowers,  and  with  this 
Ella  was  in  raptures. 

"  What  a  very  good  man  must  live  here,"  she  said,  "  to  put  all  these 
things  out  for  us  to  see  !  I  can  smell  them  through  the  glass  ! " 


254  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES 

"  They  are  put  here  to  sell,"  said  Mr.  Lee,  "  and  I  know  you  will 
like  that  beautiful  pink  rose-bush  a  great  deal  better  than  a  mirror — 
or  that  great  white  lily." 

"  No,  no,  papa,"  said  Ella,  moving  impatiently  away.  "  When  will 
we  come  to  the  place  ?  " 

"  Here  it  is,"  said  Mr.  Lee,  as  they  stopped  at  a  store  where  there 
were  two  huge  windows  filled  with  mirrors  of  all  sizes.  "  Now, 
which  one  will  you  have  ?  Not  a  very  large  one  for  such  a  very  little 
lady.  But  there  is  a  nice  little  one  that  will  just  suit  you,  and  it  has 
a  very  pretty  frame." 

"  Where  ?  where,  papa  ?  I  don't  see  it !  "  And  Ella  looked  about 
the  window  in  a  very  bewildered  manner. 

"  There.     In  that  corner,  leaning  against  the  window-frame." 

"  Why,  papa,  that's  a  looking-glass  !  " 

"  And  is  not  that  what  you  want  ?  " 

"  No,  sir ;  I  want  a  '  Mirror ' — a  book." 

"  Oh  !  that's  it !  "  said  Mr.  Lee,  with  a  brighter  face.  "  I  expect 
you  want  a  book  called  '  The  Mirror.' " 

"  Yes,  sir,"  said  Ella,  laughing,  as  they  walked  on.  "  How  funny 
that  you  should  think  I  wanted  a  looking-glass  !  There  it  is  now  !  " 
she  cried  excitedly,  pointing  into  the  window  of  a  book-store. 

It  was  a  large  sheet  of  paper  Ella  saw,  called  a  Poster,  but  it  had 
"The  Mirror"  on  it  in  very  big  letters.  So  Mr.  Lee  and  Ella  went 
in,  and  the  shopman  brought  her  the  book,  but  it  was  red,  and  she  did 
not  want  it,  and  then  he  took  down  a  green  one,  and  then  a  brown,* 
but  Ella  would  only  have  a  blue  one.  After  some  trouble  a  blue  one 
was  found,  and  Ella  walked  off  hugging  it  close  up  to  her.  The  book 
Miss  Harper  read  had  a  blue  cover,  and  I  believe  that  Ella  was  afraid 
that  any  other  color  would  not  contain  the  same  stories. 


WILD    BOAR. 


256  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


BIG   GAME. 

WHEN  a  man  or  a  boy  goes  hunting — in  a  book — he  might  just  as 
well  go  after  good  big  game  as  after  these  little  things  that  you  see 
about  home.  So  let  us  leave  chipmunks,  rabbits,  and  tit-birds  to 
those  poor  fellows  who  have  to  shoot  with  real  guns,  and  are  obliged 
to  be  home  in  time  for  supper,  and  let  us  go  out  into  the  wide  world, 
to  hunt  the  very  largest  and  most  savage  beasts  we  can  find.  It  is 
perfectly  safe, — in  a  book. 

As  we  can  go  wherever  we  please,  suppose  we  try  our  skill  in 
hunting  the  Wild  Boar.  He  will  be  a  good  beast  to  begin  with, 
because  he  is  tolerably  convenient,  being  found  in  Southern  Europe, 
Palestine,  and  neighboring  countries,  and  also  because  he  is  such  a 
destructive  rascal,  when  he  comes  into  the  neighborhood  of  civiliza 
tion,  that  every  one  will  be  much  obliged  to  us  for  killing  him.  If  he 
chances  to  get  into  a  vineyard,  in  company  with  a  set  of  his  reckle^ 
fellows,  there  is  small  chance  for  a  vintage  that  year.  He  tears  down 
the  vines,  devours  the  grapes,  green  and  ripe,  and  breaks  and  ruins 
trellises  and  everything  within  his  reach. 

If  we  are  so  fortunate  as  to  get  sight  of  him,  we  will  find  that  he  is  no 
easy  game  to  bag.  Very  different  is  he  from  his  tame  brethren  with 
which  we  are  acquainted — old  grunters,  who  wallow  about  the  mud- 
puddles  and  sleep  serenely  for  hours,  with  their  fat  sides  baking  in  the 
sun.  The  wild  boar  is  as  fast  as  a  horse,  and  as  savage  as  the  Grossest 
bull.  He  can  run  so  that  you  can  scarcely  catch  up  to  him  with  your 
nag  at  the  top  of  his  speed,  and  when  you  do  reach  him  he  will  be 
very  apt,  if  you  are  not  watchful,  to  rip  up  your  horse  with  his  tusks 
and  cut  some  terrible  gashes  in  your  own  legs,  besides. 

We  must  shoot  this  fellow  as  soon  as  we  can  get  a  good  chance,  for 


BIG  GAME.  257 


those  sharp  tusks  will  be  ready  for  us,  if  we  come  too  close,  and  if  he 
increases  the  distance  between  us,  he  may  get  among  the  rocks  and 
hills,  where  he  will  surely  escape,  for  our  horses  cannot  go  over  those 
rough  ascents  at  the  rate  the  boar  would  gallop. 

When  at  last  he  is  shot,  the  boar  is  capital  eating.  His  flesh  is  far 
superior  to  common  pork,  possessing  the  peculiar  delicate  flavor 
which  belongs  to  most  wild  meat.  If  we  could  shoot  a  wild  boar 
every  few  days,  we  would  be  sure  to  fare  very  well  during  our  hunt 
ing  expedition. 

But  we  must  press  on  after  other  game,  and  we  will  now  try  and  get 
a  shot  at  a  musk-ox.  We  shall  have  to  go  somewhat  out  of  our  way 
to  find  this  animal,  for  he  lives  in  the  upper  portions  of  North  America, 
but  an  ocean  and  a  continent  or  two  are  not  at  all  difficult  to  cross — 
in  a  book. 

The  musk-ox  is  about  as  large  as  a  small  cow ;  he  has  very  short 
legs,  and  horns  which  are  very  large  and  heavy.  They  extend  over 
his  forehead  and  seem  as  if  they  were  parted  in  the  middle,  like  a 
dandy's  front  hair.  It  is  probable,  if  we  get  near  enough  to  one  of 
them,  that  we  shall  have  no  trouble  in  shooting  him ;  but  there  is 
sometimes  danger  in  this  sport.  A  sailor  once  went  out  to  hunt 
musk-oxen,  and,  to  his  great  surprise,  soon  found  that  they  intended 
to  hunt  him.  A  herd  got  after  him,  and  one  big  fellow  was  on  the 
point  of  crushing  him  with  his  great  horns,  when  he  dodged  behind 
a  rock,  against  which  the  furious  animal  came  like  a  battering-ram. 

In  the  fall  and  winter  the  flesh  of  the  musk-ox  is  very  good  indeed, 
but  in  the  spring  it  is  not  so  nice.  It  then  smells  like  your  sister's 
glove-box  (if  she  uses  musk),  only  about  one  hundred  times  as  strong. 
If  we  were  to  cut  up  one  of  these  animals  when  his  flesh  is  in  this 
condition,  we  would  find  it  almost  impossible  to  get  the  smell  off  of 
our  knives.  The  winter  is  certainly  the  time  to  shoot  this  game,  for 
17 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


then  not  only  is  his  flesh  very  good,  but  his  skin  is  covered  with  very 
long  and  warm  hair,  and  we  would  find  it  even  better,  to  keep  us  warm, 
than  a  buffalo  robe. 


THE    MUSK-OX   AND   THE    SAILOR. 


While  we  are  thinking  of  skins,  we  might  as  well  get  a  variety  of 
them,  and  we  will  find  the  fur  of  the  brown  bear  very  valuable. 

So  now  for  a  brown  bear.  He,  too,  is  found  in  the  regions  of  ice 
and  snow,  and  in  the  North  of  Europe  he  is  hunted  by  the  peasants 
in  a  way  which  we  will  not  imitate.  When  they  find  a  den  or  cave  in 
the  rocks  in  which  they  think  a  bear  is  concealed,  these  sturdy  hunters 
make  all  sorts  of  noises  to  worry  him  out,  and  when  at  last  the  bear 
comes  forth  to  see  what  is  the  matter,  he  finds  a  man  standing  in  front 


BIG  GAME. 


259 


of  his  den,  armed  with  a  short  lance  with  a  long  sharp  head,  and  a  bar 
of  iron  placed  crosswise  on  the  handle  just  below  the  head.  Now,  a 
full-grown  brown  bear  is  not  afraid  of  a  man  who  is  armed  with  a  little 
weapon  like  this,  and  so  he  approaches  the  hunter,  and  rearing  on 
his  hind  legs;  reaches  forth  his  arms  to  give  the  man  a  good  hug,  if 
he  comes  any  nearer. 


HUNTING  THE   BROWN   BEAR. 


The  man  does  come  nearer,  and,  to  the  bear's  great  surprise,  he 
thrusts  forth  his  lance,  which  is  longer  than  it  looked,  and  drives  the 
head  of  it  into  the  animal's  breast.  The  iron  bar  prevents  the  lance 
from  entering  too  far  into  the  body  of  the  bear — a  very  necessary 
precaution,  for  if  it  was  not  there,  the  bear  would  push  himself  up 


260  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

along-  the  handle  of  the  lance  and  have  his  great  paws  on  the  man  in 
a  minute  or  two.  But  the  bar  keeps  the  bear  back,  and  the  loss  of 
blood  soon  renders  him  so  weak  that  the  hunter  can  throw  him  down 
and  despatch  him.  It  is  strange  that  the  bear  never  tries  to  pull  the 
lance  out  of  his  body.  He  keeps  pressing  it  in,  trying  all  the  time  to 
get  over  it  at  his  enemy. 

This  may  be  a  good  way  to  kill  a  bear,  but  I  don't  like  it.  It  is 
cruel  to  the  animal,  and  decidedly  dangerous  to  the  hunter.  If  I 
could  not  get  a  bear-skin  in  any  other  way  than  by  killing  the  animal 
with  a  spear,  I  would  let  the  bear  keep  his  fur.  If  we  see  any  brown 
bears  we  will  shoot  them  with  our  rifles,  a  much  safer  and  more 
humane  method  than  the  pike  fashion. 

After  the  bears,  what  shall  we  hunt  ?  What  do  you  say  to  a  hip 
popotamus  ?  That  will  be  something  that  we  are  not  accustomed  to, 
at  any  rate.  So  away  we  go  to  the  waters  of  Africa,  If  we  travel 
along  the  shores  of  the  Nile  and  other  African  rivers,  we  shall,  no 
doubt,  see  some  of  these  great  creatures.  But  we  must  not  expect  to 
get  a  good  sight  of  any  of  them,  unless  we  are  very  careful  to  hide 
ourselves  somewhere  near  where  they  are  in  the  habit  of  coming  out 
of  the  water  to  take  a  walk  on  land.  Ordinarily  all  that  can  be  seen 
of  a  hippopotamus  is  his  head  or  his  back,  sticking  up  out  of  the 
water.  They  can  stay  under  water  for  a  long  time,  occasionally 
sticking  up  their  noses  to  get  a  breath  of  air. 

At  night  they  often  come  on  shore  to  see  what  they  can  find  to 
eat.  They  live  on  grass  and  grains,  which  they  find  in  the  water  and 
on  land.  These  animals  are  generally  shot  or  harpooned  at  night, 
when  they  come  out  of  the  water,  but  occasionally  a  hunter  sees  one 
on  shore  in  the  daytime,  and  he  seldom  finds  any  difficulty  in  shooting 
it,  if  he  can  hit  it  in  the  ear,  which  is  its  most  vulnerable  spot. 

The  hippopotamus  is  naturally  a  timid  animal,  and  seldom  turns  on 


BIG  GAME. 


261 


its  hunters,  but  sometimes  it  shows  a  courageous  disposition.  Some 
hunters,  having  shot  a  young  but  apparently  a  tolerably  well-grown 
hippopotamus,  were  running  up  to  their  prize,  when  they  were 
astounded  by  the  old  mother  beast  coming  up  out  of  the  water  and 
charging  towards  them  with  tremendous  roars. 


A   BRAVE   HIPPOPOTAMUS. 


The  hunters  fired  at  her  and  then  took  to  their  heels,  but  having 
found  her  offspring,  she  stayed  with  it  and  did  not  pursue  the  men. 
If  she  had  overtaken  them,  she  would  have  been  a  terrible  enemy 
to  encounter. 

If,  during  our  night-watches  on  the  river-banks,  we  are  so  fortunate 
as  to  shoot  a  hippopotamus,  we  shall  find  that  we  have  a  good  supply 


t6z 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


of  very  fine  meat.  And  what  we  cannot  eat  the  natives  will  be  de 
lighted  to  get.  •  They  consider  a  hippopotamus  a  most  valuable  prize, 
and  as  the  meat  is  good  and  there  is  so  very  much  of  it,  their  joy 
when  they  kill  one  is  not  at  all  surprising.  The  only  thing  that 
troubles  them  after  a  successful  hunt  is  that  there  are  so  few  hippo 
potami  killed,  and  so  many  negroes  to  eat  them. 

And  now  let  us  try  a  rhinoceros  hunt.  This  animal  is  found  in  the 
same  regions  that  the  hippopotamus  inhabits,  but  he  also  lives  in  Asia. 
He  is  rather  a  dangerous  animal  to  hunt.  He  is  a  savage  fellow  when 


A  RHINOCEROS  TURNING  THE  TABLES. 


nrovoked ;  he  has  a  great  horn  on  his  nose,  and  a  skin  so  thick  that  it 
Is  almost  bullet-proof,  and,  besides  that,  he  is  the  largest  and  strongest 


BIG  GAME.  263 

animal  on  the  earth,  excepting  the  elephant.  So  no  wonder  he  is  a 
little  unsafe  to  hunt. 

The  rhinoceros  lives  on  grass  and  herbs,  and  makes  his  home 
entirely  on  the  land.  His  flesh,  like  that  of  the  hippopotamus,  is  very 
good  to  eat,  but  rhinoceros-beef  ought  to  be  dear,  if  the  trouble  and 
danger  in  getting  it  is  taken  into  consideration  when  the  price  is  fixed. 
He  very  often  turns  and  charges  on  the  hunters,  and  if  he  gets  his 
horn  under  a  man  or  a  horse,  he  is  likely  to  cause  trouble. 

It  is  said  that  a  rhinoceros  can  kill  an  elephant,  by  ripping  him  up 
with  his  horn,  and  that  the  lion  and  all  wild  beasts  are  afraid  of  him. 
I  am  not  at  all  surprised  that  this  is  the  case,  for  I  have  examined  the 
skin  of  a  rhinoceros  which  I  saw  in  a  menagerie,  and  it  was  so  thick 
and  heavy  that  scarcely  any  animal  could  tear  it,  with  teeth  or  claws, 
so  as  to  get  at  the  enemy  within  it.  The  rhinoceros  which  I  saw  in 
a  cage  was  not  quite  full-grown.  His  horn  was  not  more  than  an 
inch  or  two  above  his  nose,  but  he  was  an  enormous  fellow,  and  his 
great  hide,  which  was  as  hard  as  the  sole  of  your  shoe,  hung  on  him 
in  great  folds,  as  if  it  had  been  made  large  so  as  to  give  him  room  to 
grow.  He  was  gentle  enough,  and  let  me  put  my  hand  through  the 
bars  of  his  cage  and  take  hold  of  his  horn  without  making  the  slightest 
objection.  But  we  will  not  find  that  kind  of  rhinoceros  on  the  plains 
of  Africa,  and  if  we  hunt  one  we  must  kill  him  very  soon,  or  be  pre 
pared  to  get  out  of  his  way. 

After  a  rhinoceros  hunt  we  will  not  be  apt  to  be  easily  frightened, 
no  matter  what  beast  we  pursue,  so  we  might  as  well  go  to  India 
and  hunt  the  Bengal  tiger. 

There  is  no  animal  more  graceful  in  its  movements,  handsomer  in 
shape  and  color,  or  more  bloody  and  ferocious  in  its  nature,  than  the 
Royal  Bengal  tiger.  Even  in  a  cage  he  is  a  magnificent  creature. 
When  I  go  to  a  menagerie,  I  always  look  first  for  the  Bengal  tigers. 


264 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


If  we  go  to  hunt  these  animals,  we  had  better  ride  upon  elephants, 
for  we  must  go  into  the  jungles,  where  the  tall  reeds,  through  which 
the  tigers  roam,  are  higher  than  our  heads. 

When  we  are  well  in  the  jungle,  we  must  be  careful.  It  is  some 
times  very  difficult  to  see  a  tiger,  even  if  you  are  quite  near  to  him,  for 
the  stripes  on  his  skin  are  very  much  like  the  reeds  and  leaves  of  the 
jungle,  and  we  must  keep  a  very  sharp  lookout,  and  as  soon  as  we 
see  one  we  must  be  ready  with  our  rifles,  for  a  tiger  is  very  apt  to 
begin  the  fight,  and  he  will  think  nothing  of  springing  on  the  back 
of  an.  elephant  and  dragging  one  of  us  to  the  ground.  Sometimes 
the  elephants  are  not  used  to  hunting  tigers,  and  when  they  see  the 
savage  beasts  they  turn  and  run.  In  that  ease  there  is  often  great 


TIGER   HUNT.' 


BIG  GAME.  265 


danger,  for  no  one  can  fire  coolly  and  with  certain  aim  from  the  back 
of  a  bounding  elephant. 

If  we  find  a  tiger,  and  we  get  a  good  shot — or  perhaps  many  good 
shots — at  him,  and  he  falls  wounded  or  apparently  dead,  we  must 
still  be  very  careful  about  approaching  him,  for  he  is  very  hard  to  kill. 
Often,  when  pierced  with  many  balls,  a  tiger  is  considered  to  have 
breathed  his  last,  he  springs  up  all  of  a  sudden,  seizes  one  of  his 
hunters  in  his  great  jaws,  tears  him  with  his  claws,  and  then  falls 
back  dead. 

Hunters  accustomed  to  the  pursuit  of  tigers,  always  make  sure  that 
a  tiger  is  dead  before  they  come  near  his  fallen  body,  and  they  often 
put  many  balls  into  him  after  he  is  stretched  upon  the  ground. 

We  must  by  this  time  be  so  inured  to  danger  in  the  pursuit  of  our 
big  game,  that  we  will  go  and  hunt  an  anin^al  which  is,  I  think,  the 
most  dangerous  creature  with  which  man  can  contend.  I  mean  the 
Gorilla. 

This  tremendous  ape,  as  tall  as  a  man,  and  as  strong  as  a  dozen 
men,  has  been  called  the  king  of  the  African  forests.  For  many 
years  travellers  in  Africa  had  heard  from  the  natives  wonderful 
stories  of  this  gigantic  and  savage  beast.  The  negroes  believed  that 
the  gorilla,  or  pongo,  as  he  was  called  by  some  tribes,  was  not  only 
as  ferocious  and  dangerous  as  a  tiger,  but  almost  as  intelligent  as  a 
man.  Some  of  them  thought  that  he  could  talk,  and  that  the  only 
reason  that  he  did  not  do  so  was  because  he  did  not  wish  to  give 
himself  the  trouble. 

Notwithstanding  the  stories  of  some  travellers,  it  is  probable  that 
no  white  man  ever  saw  a  gorilla  until  Paul  du  Chaillu  found  them  in 
Africa,  where  he  went,  in  1853,  for  the  purpose  of  exploring  the 
country  which  they  inhabit. 

As  Mr.  Chaillu  has  written  several  books  for  young  folks,  in  which 


366 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


he  tells  his  experience  with  gorillas,  I   shall  not  relate  any  of  his 
wonderful  adventures  with  these  animals,  in  which  he  killed  some 

enormous  fellows  and  at 
different  times  captured 
young  ones,  all  of  which, 
however,  soon  died. 
But  the  researches  of 
this  indefatigable  and 
intrepid  explorer  have 
proved  that  the  gorilla 
is,  as  the  negroes  re 
ported  him  to  be,  a 
most  terrible  animal  to 
encounter.  When  found, 
he  often  comes  forward 
to  meet  the  hunter, 
roaring  like  a  great 
lion,  and  beating  his 
breast  in  defiance.  If 
a  rifle-ball  does  not 
quickly  put  an  end  to 
him,  he  will  rush  upon 
his  assailants,  and  one 
blow  from  his  powerful 
arm  will  be  enough  to 
stretch  a  man  sense 
less  or  dead  upon  the 
ground. 

In     a     hand-to-hand 
combat  with   a   gorilla, 


.&vn&e*i. 


FIGHT    WITH    A    GORILLA." 


BIG  GAME.  267 


a  man,  even  though  armed  with  a  knife,  has  not  the  slightest  chance 
for  his  life. 

If  we  should  be  fortunate  enough  to  shoot  a  gorilla,  we  may  call 
ourselves  great  hunters,  even  without  counting  in  the  bears,  the 
rhinoceroses,  the  tigers,  and  the  other  animals. 

And  when  we  return,  proud  and  satisfied  with  our  endeavors,  we 
will  prove  to  the  poor  fellows  who  were  obliged  to  stay  at  home  and 
shoot  tit-birds  and  rabbits,  with  real  guns,  what  an  easy  thing  it  is  to 
hunt  the  biggest  kind  of  game — in  a  book. 


268 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


THE   BOOTBLACK'S    DOG. 

ONCE  upon  a  time  there  lived,  in  Paris,  a  bootblack.  1  le  was  not 
a  boy,  but  a  man,  and  he  had  a  family  to  support.  The  profits  of  his 
business  would  have  been  sufficient  for  his  humble  wants  and  those 
of  his  family  had  it  not  been  for  one  circumstance,  which  made  trade 
very  dull  with  him.  And  that  disastrous  circumstance  was  this : 
nearly  every  one  who  passed  his  stand  had  their  boots  and  shoes 
already  blackened !  Now  this  was  hard  upon  our  friend.  There  was 
nothing  to  astonish  him  in  the  fact  of  so  many  persons  passing  with 
polished  boots,  for  his  stand  was  in  the  middle  of  a  block,  and  there 
were  bootblacks  at  each  corner.  But  all  he  could  do  was  to  bear  his 
fate  as  patiently  as  possible,  and  black  the  few  boots  which  came  to 
him,  and  talk  to  his  dog,  his  only  companion,  as  he  sat  all  day  on  the 
sidewalk  by  his  box. 

One  day,  when  he  had  just  blackened  his  own  boots  (he  did  not 


THE  BOOTBLACK'S  DOG.  269 

charge  himself  anything — he  only  did  it  so  as  to  have  the  air  of  being 
busy),  his  dog  came  running  up  to  him  from  the  muddy  street,  and 
accidentally  put  his  dirty  paw  on  his  master's  bright  boots.  The 
man,  who  was  of  an  amiable  disposition,  did  not  scold  much,  but  as 
he  was  brushing  off  the  mud  he  said : 

"  You  little  rascal !  I  wish  it  had  been  the  boots  of  some  other 
man  that  you  had  covered  with  dirt.  That  would  have  been  sensi 
ble." 

Just  at  that  moment  a  thought  struck  the  bootblack. 

He  would  teach  his  dog  to  muddy  other  people's  boots ! 

The  man  immediately  acted  on  this  idea,  and  gave  his  dog  lessons 
every  day  in  the  art  of  muddying  boots.  In  a  week  or  two,  no  gen 
tleman  with  highly  polished  boots  could  pass  the  bootblack's  stand 
without  seeing  a  dog  rush  into  the  street  and  gutter,  and  then  come 
and  jump  on  his  feet,  spattering  his  boots  with  mud  and  water,  and 
making  it  necessary  for  him  to  go  immediately  to  the  nearest  boot 
black — which  was  of  course  the  dog's  master. 

The  bootblack  now  had  constant  custom,  and  his  circumstances 
began  rapidly  to  improve.  His  children,  being  better  fed,  grew  round 
and  chubby ;  his  wife  had  three  good  meals  a  day,  and  some  warm 
flannels,  and  she  soon  lost  the  wan  and  feeble  look  which  she  had 
worn  so  long.  As  for  the  man  himself,  he  and  his  dog  were  gay  and 
busy  all  the  day  long. 

But  people  began  to  suspect  something  after  a  while.  One  gentle 
man  who  had  his  boots  muddied  regularly  every  day,  once  questioned 
the  bootblack  very  closely,  for  he  saw  that  the  dog  belonged  to  him, 
and  the  man  was  obliged  to  confess  that  he  had  taught  the  dog  the 
trick.  The  gentleman,  pleased  with  the  smartness  of  the  dog,  and 
perhaps  desirous  of  ridding  his  fellow-citizens  of  annoyance  and 
expense,  purchased  the  animal  and  took  him  home. 


270  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

But  he  did  not  keep  him  long.  In  a  few  days  the  dog  escaped, 
and  came  back  to  his  old  master  and  his  muddy  trade. 

But  I  do  not  think  that  that  bootblack  always  prospered.  People 
who  live  by  tricks  seldom  do.  I  have  no  doubt  that  a  great  many 
people  found  out  his  practices,  and  that  the  authorities  drove  him 
away  from  his  stand,  and  that  he  was  obliged  to  give  up  his  business, 
and  perhaps  go  into  the  army ;  while  his  wife  supported  the  family  by 
taking  in  washing  and  going  out  to  scrub.  I  am  not  sure  that  all  this 
happened,  but  I  would  not  be  at  all.  surprised  if  it  turned  out  exactly 
as  I  say. 


GOING  AFTER  THE  COWS. 


271 


GOING  AFTER   THE   COWS. 

IF  there  is  anything  which  a  little  country-boy  likes,  and  which  a 
big  country-boy  dislikes,  it  is  to  go  after  the  cows.  There  is  na 
need  of  giving  the  reasons  why  the  big  boy  does  not  like  this  duty. 


2 72  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

It  is  enough  to  say  that  it  is  a  small  boy's  business,  and  the  big  boy 
knows  it.  The  excitement  of  hunting  up  and  driving  home  a  lot  of 
slow,  meandering  cattle  is  not  sufficient  for  a  mind  capable  of  grap 
pling  with  the  highest  grade  of  agricultural  ideas,  and  the  youth  who 
lias  reached  the  mature  age  of  fifteen  or  sixteen  is  very  apt  to  think 
that  his  mind  is  one  of  that  kind. 

But  it  is  very  different  with  the  little  boy.  To  go  down  into  the 
fields,  with  a  big  stick  and  a  fixed  purpose ;  to  cross  over  the  ditches 
.on  boards  that  a  few  years  ago  he  would  not  have  been  allowed  to 
put  his  foot  upon ;  to  take  down  the  bars  of  the  fences,  just  as  if  he 
was  a  real  man,  and  when  he  reaches  the  pasture,  to  go  up  to  those 
great  cows,  and  even  to  the  old  bull  himself,  and  to  shake  his  stick  at 
them,  and  shout:  "  Go  along  there,  now  ! " — these  are  proud  things  to 
do. 

And  then  what  a  feeling  of  power  it  gives  him  to  make  those  big 
creatures  walk  along  the  very  road  he  chooses  for  them,  and  to  hurry 
them  up,  or  let  them  go  slowly,  just  as  he  pleases  ! 

If,  on  the  way,  a  wayward  cow  should  make  a  sudden  incursion 
over  some  low  bars  into  a  forbidden  field,  the  young  director  of  her 
evening  course  is  equal  to  the  emergency. 

He  is  over  the  fence  in  an  instant,  and  his  little  legs  soon  place 
him  before  her,  and  then  what  are  her  horns,  her  threatening  coun 
tenance,  and  her  great  body  to  his  shrill  voice  and  brandished 
stick  ?  Admitting  his  superior  power,  she  soon  gallops  back  to  the 
herd,  with  whack  after  whack  resounding  upon  her  thick  hide. 

When  at  last  the  great,  gentle  beasts  file,  one  by  one,  into  the 
barn-yard,  there  is  a  consciousness  of  having  done  something  very 
important  in  the  air  of  the  little  fellow  who  brings  up  the  rear  of  the 
procession,  and  who  shuts  the  gate  as  closely  as  possible  on  the  heels 
of  the  hindmost  cow. 


GOING  AFTER  THE  COWS.  .273 

There  are  also  many  little  outside  circumstances  connected  with  a 
small  boy's  trip  after  the  cows  which  make  it  pleasant  to  him.  Some 
times  there  are  tremendous  bull-frogs  in  the  ditch.  There  are  ripe 
wild-cherries — splendid,  bitter,  and  scarce — on  the  tree  in  the  corner 
of  the  field.  The  pears  on  the  little  tree  by  old  Mrs.  Hopkins's 
don't  draw  your  mouth  up  so  very  much,  if  you  peel  the  skins  off  with 
your  knife.  There  is  always  a  chance  of  seeing  a  rabbit,  and 
although  there  is  no  particular  chance  of  getting  it,  the  small  boy 
does  not  think  of  that.  Now,  although  it  would  hardly  be  worth 
while  to  walk  very  far  for  any  of  these  things,  they  are  very  pleasant 
when  you  are  going  after  the  cows. 

So  I  think  it  is  no  wonder  that  the  little  boys  like  to  go.  after  the 
c"ows  and  I  wish  that  hundreds  and  thousands  of  pale-faced  and  thin- 
legged  little  fellows  had  cows  to  go  after. 

18 


274  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


THE   REFLECTIVE   STAG. 

THE  more  we  study  the  habits  and  natures  of  animals  the  more 
firmly  are  we  convinced  that,  in  many  of  them,  what  we  call  instinct 
is  very  much  like  what  we  call  reason. 

In  the  case  of  a  domestic  animal,  we  may  attribute,  perhaps,  a 
great  deal  of  its  cleverness  to  its  association  with  man  and  its  capa 
bility  of  receiving  instruction.  But  wild  animals  have  not  the  advan 
tages  of  human  companionship,  and  what  they  know  is  due  to  the 
strength  and  quality  of  their  own  understanding.  And  some  of  them 
appear  to  know  a  great  deal. 

There  are  few  animals  which  prove  this  assertion  more  frequently 
than  the  stag.  As  his  home  is  generally  somewhere  near  the 
abodes  of  men,  and  as  his  flesh  is  so  highly  prized  by  them,  it  is 
absolutely  necessary  that  he  should  take  every  possible  precaution  to 
preserve  his  life  from  their  guns  and  dogs.  Accordingly,  he  has 
devised  a  great  many  plans  by  which  he  endeavors — often  success 
fully — to  circumvent  his  hunters.  And  to  do  this  certainly  requires 
reflection,  and  a  good  deal  of  it,  too.  He  even  finds  out  that  his 
scent  assists  the  dogs  in  following  him.  How  he  knows  this  I  have 
not  the  slightest  idea,  but  he  does  know  it. 

Therefore  it  is  that,  when  he  is  hunted,  he  avoids  running  through 
thick  bushes,  where  his  scent  would  remain  on  the  foliage ;  and,  if 
possible,  he  dashes  into  the  water,  and  runs  along  the  beds  of  shal 
low  streams,  where  the  hounds  often  lose  all  trace  of  him.  When 
this  is  impossible,  he  bounds  over  the  ground,  making  as  wide  gaps 
as  he  can  between  his  tracks.  Sometimes,  too,  he  runs  into  a  herd  of 
cattle,  and  so  confuses  the  dogs ;  and  he  has  been  known  to  jump  up 
on  the  back  of  an  ox,  and  take  a  ride  on  the  frightened  creature, 


THE  REFLECTIVE  STAG. 


275 


in  order  to  get  his  own  feet  partly  off  of  the  ground  for  a  time,  and 
thus  to  break  the  line  of  his  scent.  When  very  hard  pressed,  a  stag 
has  suddenly  dropped  on  the  ground,  and  when  most  of  the  dogs,  un 
able  to  stop  themselves,  dash  over  him,  he  springs  to  his  feet,  and 
darts  off  in  an  opposite  direction. 


He  will  also  run  back  on  his  own  track,  and  employ  many  other 
means  of  the  kind  to  deceive  the  dogs,  showing  most  conclusively  that 
he  understands  the  theory  of  scent,  and  the  dogs'  power  of  perceiving 
it ;  and  also  that  he  has  been  able  to  devise  the  very  best  plans  to 
elude  his  pursuers. 

Not  only  do  stags  reflect  in  this  general  manner  in  regard  to  their 
most  common  and  greatest  danger,  but  they  make  particular  reflec- 


276  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

tions,  suited  to  particular  places  and  occasions.  The  tricks  and 
manoeuvres  which  would  be  very  successful  in  one  forest  and  in  one 
season  would  not  answer  at  all  in  another  place  and  at  another  time, 
and  so  they  reflect  on  the  subject  and  lay  their  plans  to  suit  the 
occasion. 

There  are  many  animals  which  possess  great  acuteness  in  eluding 
their  hunters,  but  the  tricks  of  the  stag  are  sufficient  to  show  us  to 
what  an  extent  some  animals  are  capable  of  reflection. 


WHEN  WE  MUST  NOT  BELIEVE  OUR  EYES.  277 


WHEN   WE   MUST   NOT   BELIEVE  OUR   EYES.      '.,* 

THERE  are  a  great  number  of  marvellous  things  told  us  of  phantom 
forms  and  ghostly  apparitions — of  spectres  that  flit  about  lonely  roads 
on  moonlight  nights,  or  haunt  peaceful  people  in  their  own  homes ; 
of  funeral  processions,  with  long  trains  of  mourners,  watched  from  a 
distance,  but  which,  on  nearer  approach,  melt  into  a  line  of  mist ;  of 
wild  witch-dances  in  deserted  houses,  and  balls  of  fire  bounding  out 
of  doors  and  windows — stories  which  cause  the  flesh  of  children  to 
creep  upon  their  bones,  and  make  cowards  of  them  where  there  is  no 
reason  for  fear.  For  you  may  lay  it  down  as  a  fact,  established  be 
yond  dispute,  that  not  one  of  these  things  is  a  reality.  The  person 
who  tells  these  marvels  has  always  what  seems  the  best  of  reasons 
for  his  belief.  He  either  saw  these  things  himself  or  knew  some 
body,  strictly  truthful,  who  had  seen  them.  He  did  not  know,  what 
I  am  going  to  prove  to  you,  that  a  thing  may  be  true  and  yet  not  be 
real.  In  other  words,  that  there  are  times  when  we  do  actually  see 
marvels  that  seem  supernatural,  but  that,  on  such  occasions,  we  must 
not  believe  our  own  eyes,  but  search  for  a  natural  cause,  and,  if  we 
look  faithfully,  we  are  sure  to  find  one. 

Once  a  vessel  was  sailing  over  a  northern  ocean  in  the  midst  of  the 
short,  Arctic  summer.  The  sun  was  hot,  the  air  was  still,  and  a 
group  of  sailors  lying  lazily  upon  the  deck  were  almost  asleep,  when 
an  exclamation  of  fear  from  one  of  them  made  them  all  spring  to  their 
feet.  The  one  who  had  uttered  the  cry  pointed  into  the  air  at  a  little 
distance,  and  there  the  awe-stricken  sailors  saw  a  large  ship,  with  all 
sails  set,  gliding  over  what  seemed  to  be  a  placid  ocean,  for  beneath 
the  ship  was  the  reflection  of  it. 

The  news  soon  spread  through  the  vessel  that  a  phantom-ship  with 


278 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


a  ghostly  crew  was  sailing  in  the  air  over  a  phantom-ocean,  and  that 
it  was  a  bad  omen,  and  meant  that  not  one  of  them  should  ever  see 
land  again.  The  captain  was  told  the  wonderful  tale,  and  coming 


on  deck,  he  explained  to  the  sailors  that  this  strange  appearance  was 
caused  by  the  reflection  of  some  ship  that  was  sailing  on  the  water 
below  this  image,  but  at  such  a  distance  they  could  not  see  it.  There 
were  certain  conditions  of  the  atmosphere,  he  said,  when  the  sun's 
rays  could  form  a  perfect  picture  in  the  air  of  objects  on  the  earth, 
like  the  images  one  sees  in  glass  or  water,  but  they  were  not  gener 
ally  upright,  as  in  the  case  of  this  ship,  but  reversed — turned  bottom 
upwards.  This  appearance  in  the  air  is  called  a  mirage.  He  told  a 
sailor  to  go  up  to  the  foretop  and  look  beyond  the  phantom-ship. 


,   WHEN  WE  MUST  NOT  BELIEVE  OUR  EYES.  279 

The  man  obeyed,  and  reported  that  he  could  see  on  the  water,  below 
the  ship  in  the  air,  one  precisely  like  it.  Just  then  another  ship  was 
seen  in  the  air,  only  this  one  was  a  steamship,  and  was  bottom- 
upwards,  as  the  captain  had  said  these  mirages  generally  appeared. 
Soon  after,  the  steamship  itself  came  in  sight.  The  sailors  were 
now  convinced,  and  never  afterwards  believed  in  phantom-ships. 

A  French  army  marching  across  the  burning  sands  of  an  Egyptian 
desert,  fainting  with  thirst  and  choked  with  fine  sand,  were  suddenly 
revived  in  spirit  by  the  sight  of  a  sheet  of  water  in  the  distance.  In 
it  were  mirrored  the  trees  and  villages,  gardens  and  pretty  houses  of 
a  cultivated  land,  all  reversed.  The  blue  sky  was  mirrored  there,  too, 
just  as  you  can  see  the  banks  of  a  lake,  and  the  sky  that  bends  over 
it,  in  its  calm  waters.  The  soldiers  rushed  towards  the  place,  frantic 
with  joy,  but  when  they  got  there  they  found  nothing  but  the  hot 
sands.  Again  they  saw  the  lake  at  a  distance,  and  made  another 
headlong  rush,  only  to  be  again  disappointed.  This  happened  fre 
quently,  until  the  men  were  in  despair,  and  imagined  that  some  demon 
was  tormenting  them.  But  there  happened  to  be  with  this  army  a 
wise  man,  who  did  not  trust  entirely  to  his  own  eyes,  and  although  he 
saw  exactly  what  the  others  did,  he  did  not  believe  that  there  was 
anything  there  but  air.  He  set  to  work  to  investigate  it,  and  found 
out  that  the  whole  thing  was  an  illusion — it  was  the  reflection  of  the 
gardens  and  villages  that  were  on  the  river  Nile,  thrown  up  into  the 
air,  like  the  ships  the  sailors  saw,  only  in  the  clear  atmosphere  of 
Egypt  these  images  are  projected  to  a  long  distance.  And  demons 
had  nothing  whatever  to  do  with  it. 

People  used  to  believe  in  a  fairy  called  Fata  Morgana.  Wonder 
ful  things  were  said  of  her,  and  her  dominions  were  in  the  air,  where 
she  had  large  cities  which  she  sometimes  amused  herself  by  turning 
into  a  variety  of  shapes.  The  cities  were  often  seen  by  dwellers  on 


280 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


the  Mediterranean  sea-coast.  Sometimes  one  of  them  would  be  like 
an  earthly  city,  with  houses  and  churches,  and  nearly  always  with 
a  background  of  mountains.  In  a  moment  it  would  change  into 
a  confused  mass  of  long  colonnades,  lofty  towers,  and  battlements 
waving  with  flags,  and  then  the  mountains  reeling  and  falling,  a  long 
row  of  windows  would  appear  glowing  with  rainbow  colors,  and  per 
haps,  in  another  instant,  all  this  would  be  swept  away,  and  nothing 
be  seen  but  gloomy  cypress  trees. 


These  things  can  be  seen  now  occasionally,  as  of  old,  but  they  are 
no  longer  in  Fairyland.  Now  we  know  that  they  are  the  images  of 
cities  and  mountains  on  the  coast,  and  the  reason  they  assume  these 


WHEN  WE  MUST  NOT  BELIEVE  OUR  EYES. 


281 


fantastic  forms  is  that  the  layers  of  air  through  which  the  rays  of  light 
pass  are  curved  and  irregular. 

A  gigantic  figure  haunts  the  Vosges  Mountains,  known  by  the  name 
of  "  The  Spectre  of  the  Brocken."  The  ignorant  peasants  were,  in 
former  times,  in  great  fear  of  it,  thinking  it  a  supernatural  being,  and 
fancying  that  it  brought  upon  them  all  manner  of  evil.  And  it  must 
be  confessed  it  was  a  fearful  sight  to  behold  suddenly  upon  the  sum 


mit  of  a  lofty  mountain  an  immense  giant,  sometimes  pointing  in  a 
threatening  attitude  to  a  village  below,  as  jf  dooming  it  to  destruction ; 
sometimes  with  arms  upraised,  as  if  invoking  ruin  upon  all  the  coun 
try  ;  and  sometimes  stalking  along  with  such  tremendous  strides  as 


282  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


to  make  but  one  step  from  peak  to  peak ;  often  dwarfing  himself  to 
nothingness,  and  again  stretching  up  until  his  head  is  in  the  clouds, 
then  disappearing  entirely  for  a  moment,  only  to  reappear  more 
formidable  than  before. 

But  now  the  Spectre  of  the  Brocken  is  no  longer  an  object  of  fear. 
Why?  Because  men  have  found  him  out,  and  he  is  nothing  in  the 
world  but  a  shadow.  When  the  sun  is  in  the  right  position,  an  ordi 
nary-sized  man  on  a  lower  mountain  will  see  a  gigantic  shadow  of 
himself  thrown  upon  a  cloud  beyond  the  Brocken,  though  it  appears 
to  be  on  the  mountain  itself,  and  it  is  so  perfect  a  representation  that 
it  is  difficult  to  believe  it  is  only  a  shadow.  But  it  can  be  easily 
proved.  If  the  man  stoops  to  pick  up  anything,  down  goes  the  spectre  ; 
if  he  raises  his  hand,  so  does  the  spectre ;  if  he  takes  a  step  of  two 
feet,  the  spectre  takes  one  of  miles ;  if  he  raises  his  hat,  the  spectre 
politely  returns  his  salute. 

When  you  behold  anything  marvellous,  and  your  eyes  tell  you  that 
you  have  seen  some  ghostly  thing,  don't  believe  them,  but  investigate 
the  matter  closely,  and  you  will  find  it  no  more  a  phantom  than  the 
mirage  or  the  Spectre  of  the  Brocken. 


A  CITY  UNDER  THE  GROUND. 


283 


A  CITY    UNDER  THE   GROUND. 


UNDER  the  bright 
skies  of  Italy,  in  a 
picturesque  valley, 
with  the  mountains 
close  at  hand  and 
the  blue  waves  of  the 
Mediterranean  rolling 
at  a  little  distance — at 
the  foot  of  wonderful 
Vesuvius,  green  and 
fertile,  and  covered 
with  vines  to  its  very 
top,  from  which  smoke 
is  perpetually  escap 
ing,  and  in  whose 
heart  fires  are  eter 
nally  raging,  in  this 
beautiful  valley  stands 
the  city  of  Pompeii. 

You  might,  how 
ever,  remain  upon  the 
spot  a  long  time  and 
never  find  out  that 
there  was  a  city  there. 
All  around  you  would 
see  groves  and  vine 
yards,  and  cultivated 


CLEARING   OUT  A   NARROW   STREET   IN   POMPEII. 


284  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

fields  and  villas.  For  the  city  is  beneath  your  feet.  Under  the  vine 
yards  and  orchards  are  temples  filled  with  statues,  houses  with  furni 
ture,  pictures,  and  all  homelike  things.  Nothing-  is  wanting  there 
but  life.  For  Pompeii  is  a  buried  city,  and  fully  two-thirds  of  it  has 
not  yet  been  excavated. 

But  a  short  walk  from  this  place  will  bring  you  to  the  spot  where 
excavations  have  been  made,  and  about  one-third  of  the  ancient  city 
lies  once  more  under  the  light  of  heaven.  It  is  doubtful  whether  you 
can  see  it  when  you  get  to  it  for  the  mounds  of  ashes  and  rubbish 
piled  around.  But,  clambering  over  these,  you  will  -pay  forty  cents 
for  admission,  and  pass  through  a  turnstile  into  a  street  where  you 
will  see  long  rows  of.  ruined  houses,  and  empty  shops,  and  broken 
temples,  and  niches  which  have  contained  statues  of  heathen  gods  and 
goddesses.  As  you  wander  about  you  will  come  across  laborers  busily 
employed  in  clearing  away  rubbish  in  obstructed  streets.  It  is  a  very 
lively  scene,  as  you  can  see  in  the  picture.  Men  are  digging  zeal 
ously  into  the  heaps  of  earth  .and  rubbish,  and  filling  baskets  which 
the  bare-footed  peasant-girls  carry  to  the  cars  at  a  little  distance. 
A  railroad  has  been  built  expressly  to  carry  away  the  earth.  The 
cars  are  drawn  by  mules.  The  girls  prefer  carrying  their  baskets  on 
their  heads.  The  men  have  to  dig  carefully,  for  there  is  no  knowing 
when  they  may  come  across  some  rare  and  valuable  work  of  art. 

The  excavations  are  conducted  in  this  manner.  Among  the  trees, 
and  in  the  cultivated  fields  there  can  be  traced  little  hillocks,  which 
are  pretty  regular  in  form  and  size.  These  indicate  the  blocks  of 
houses  in  the  buried  city,  and,  of  course,  the  streets  run  between 
them.  After  the  land  is  bought  from  the  owners,  these  streets  are 
carefully  marked  out,  the  vines  are  cleared  away,  the  trees  cut  down, 
and  the  digging  out  of  these  streets  is  commenced  from  the  top. 
The  work  is  carried  on  pretty  steadily  at  present,  but  it  is  only  within 


A  CITY  UNDER  THE  GROUND. 


285 


the  last  few  years  that  it  has  been  conducted  with  any  degree  of 
enterprise  and  skill. 


A    CLEARED    STREET    IN    POMPEII. 

Let  us  leave  this  rubbish,  and  go  into  a  street  that  has  already 
been  cleared.  The  first  thing  you  will  observe  is  that  it  is  very 
narrow.  It  is  evidently  not  intended  for  a  fashionable  drive.  But 
few  of  the  streets  are  any  wider  than  this  one.  The  greatest  width 
of  a  street  in  Pompeii  is  seven  yards,  and  some  are  only  two  and  a 
half  yards,  sidewalks  and  all.  The  middle  of  the  street  is  paved  with 
blocks  of  lava.  The  sidewalks  are  raised,  and  it  is  evident  the  owners 
of  the  houses  were  allowed  to  put  any  pavement  they  pleased  in  front 


286  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

of  their  dwellings.  In  one  place  you  will  see  handsome  stone  flags, 
the  next  pavement  may  be  nothing  but  soil  beaten  down,  while  the 
next  will  be  of  costly  marble. 

The  upper  stories  of  the  houses  are  in  ruins.  It  is  probable, 
therefore,  that  they  were  built  of  wood,  while  the  lower  stories,  being 
of  stone,  still  remain.  They  had  few  windows  on  the  street,  as  the 
Pompeiians  preferred  that  these  should  look  out  on  an  inner  square  or 
court.  To  the  right  of  the  picture  is  a  small  monument,  and  in  the 
left-hand  corner  is  a  fountain,  or  rather  the  stone  slabs  that  once 
enclosed  a  fountain. 

As  we  walk  slowly  up  the  solitary  street,  we  think  of  the  busy, 
restless  feet  that  trod  these  very  stones  eighteen  hundred  years  ago. 
Our  minds  go  back  to  the  year  of  our  Lord  79,  when  there  was 
high  carnival  in  the  little  city  of  Pompeii,  with  its  thirty  thousand 
people,  when  the  town  was  filled  with  strangers  who  had  come  to 
the  great  show ;  at  the  time  of  an  election,  when  politicians  were 
scheming  and  working  to  get  themselves  or  their  friends  into  power ; 
when  gayly  dressed  crowds  thronged  the  streets  on  their  way  to  the 
amphitheatre  to  see  the 'gladiatorial  fight;  when  there  was  feasting 
and  revelry  in  every  house ;  when  merchants  were  exulting  in  the 
midst  of  thriving  trade ;  when  the  pagan  temples  were  hung  with 
garlands  and  filled  with  gifts ;  when  the  slaves  were  at  work  in  the 
mills,  the  kitchens,  and  the  baths ;  when  the  gladiators  were  fighting 
the  wild  beasts  of  the  arena — then  it  was  that  a  swift  destruction 
swept  over  the  city  and  buried  it  in  a  silence  that  lasted  for  centuries. 

Vesuvius,  the  volcano  so  near  them,  but  which  had  been  silent  so 
many  years  that  they  had  ceased  to  dread  it,  suddenly  woke  into 
activity,  and  threw  out  of  its  summit  a  torrent  of  burning  lava  and 
ashes,  and  in  a  few  short  hours  buried  the  two  cities  of  Herculaneum 
and  Pompeii  so  completely  that  two  centuries  after  no  one  could  tell 


A  CITY  UNDER  THE  GROUND.  287 

the  precise  place  where  they  had  stood,  and  men  built  houses  and 
cultivated  farms  over  the  spot,  never  dreaming  that  cities  lay  beneath 
them. 


THE   ATRIUM    IN   THE    HOUSE    OF    E'ANSA   RESTORED. 

But  here  we  are  at  the  house  of  Pansa.  Let  us  go  in.  We  do  not 
wait  for  any  invitation  from  the  owner,  for  he  left  it  nearly  two 
thousand  years  ago,  and  his  descendants,  if  he  have  any,  are  totally 
ignorant  of  their  illustrious  descent.  First  we  enter  a  large  hall 
called  the  Atrium.  You  can  see  from  the  magnificence  of  this  apart 
ment  in  what  style  the  rich  Pompeiians  lived.  The  floor  is  paved  in 
black  and  white  mosaic,  with  a  marble  basin  in  the  centre.  The  doors 


288  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

opening  from  this  hall  conduct  us  to  smaller  apartments,  two  reception 
rooms,  a  parlor,  the  library,  and  six  diminutive  bedrooms,  only  large 
enough  to  contain  a  bedstead,  and  with  no  window.  It  must  have 
been  the  fashion  to  sleep  with  open  doors,  or  the  sleepers  must 
inevitably  have  been  suffocated. 

At  the  end  of  the  Atrium  you  see  a  large  court  with  a  fountain  in 
the  middle.  This  was  called  the  Peristyle.  Around  it  was  a  portico 
with  columns.  To  the  left  were  three  bedchambers  and  the  kitchen, 
and  to  the  right  three  bedchambers  and  the  dining-room.  Behind 
the  Peristyle  was  a  grand  saloon,  and  back  of  this  the  garden.  The 
upper  stories  of  this  house  have  entirely  disappeared.  This  is  a 
spacious  house,  but  there  are  some  in  the  city  more  beautifully 
decorated,  with  paintings  and  mosaics. 

When  the  rubbish  was  cleared  out  of  this  house,  much  of  Pansa's 
costly  furniture  was  found  to  be  in  perfect  preservation,  and  also  the 
statues.  In  the  library  were  found  a  few  books,  not  quite  destroyed ; 
in  the  kitchen  the  coal  was  in  the  fire-places ;  and  the  kitchen  utensils 
of  bronze  and  terra-cotta  were  in  their  proper  places.  Nearly  all  of 
the  valuable  portable  things  found  in  Pompeii  have  been  carried 
away  and  placed  in  the  museum  at  Naples. 

This  Pansa  was  candidate  for  the  office  of  aedile,  or  mayor  of  the 
city,  at  the  time  of  the  eruption  of  Vesuvius.  We  know  this  from  the 
placards  that  were  found  posted  in  various  parts  of  the  city,  and 
which  were  as  fresh  and  clean  as  on  the  day  they  were  /written. 
These  placards,  or  posters,  were  very  numerous,  and  there  seem  to 
have  been  a  great  many  candidates  for  the  various  city  offices  ;  and  it 
is  very  evident,  from  the  inscriptions  on  the  houses,  on  the  walls  of 
public  buildings  and  the  baths,  that  party  feeling  ran  quite  as  high  in 
this  luxurious  city  of  ancient  times  as  it  does  now  in  any  city  in 
America.  For  these  Pompeiians  had  no  newspaper,  and  expressed 


A  CITY  UNDER  THE  GROUND.  289 

their  sentiments  on  the  walls,  and  they  have  consequently  come  down 
to  us  of  the  present  day. 

These  inscriptions  not  only  related  to  politics,  but  referred  often  to 
social  and  domestic  matters,  and,  taken  in  connection  with  the  pic 
tures  of  home  scenes  that  were  painted  on  the  walls  of  the  houses, 
give  us  such  accurate  and  vivid  accounts  of  the  people  that  it  is  easy 
to  imagine  them  all  back  in  their  places,  and  living  the  old  life  over 
again.  Pansa,'and  Paratus,  and  Sallust,  and  Diomed,  and  Julia,  and 
Sabina  seem  to  be  our  own  friends,  with  whom  we  have  often  visited 
the  Forum  or  the  theatre,  and  gone  home  to  dine. 

That  curious-looking  pin  with  a  Cupid  on  it  is  a  lady's  hair-pin. 
The  necklaces  are  in  the  form  of  serpents,  which  were  favorite  sym 
bols  with  the  ancients.  The  stands  of  their  tables,  candelabra,  &c., 
were  carved  into  grotesque  or  beautiful  designs,  and  even  the  kitchen 
utensils  were  made  graceful  with  figures  of  exquisite  workmanship, 
and  were  sometimes  fashioned  out  of  silver. 

Among  the  pretty  things  found  in  Pompeiian  houses  I  will  mention 
the  following: — 

A  bronze  statuette  of  a  Dancing  Faun,  with  head  and  arms  up 
lifted;  every  muscle  seems  to  be  in  motion,  and  the  whole  body 
dancing.  Another  of  a  boy  with  head  bent  forward,  and  the  whole 
body  in  the  attitude  of  listening.  Then  there  is  a  fine  group  of 
statuary  representing  the  mighty  Hercules  holding  a  stag  bent  over 
his  knee ;  another  of  the  beautiful  Apollo  with  his  lyre  in  his  hand 
leaning  against  a  pillar.  There  are  figures  of  huntsmen  in  full  chase, 
and  of  fishermen  sitting  patiently  and  quietly  "  waiting  for  a  bite." 
A  very  celebrated  curiosity  is  the  large  urn  or  vase  of  blue  glass, 
with  figures  carved  on  it  in  half  relief,  in  white.  (For  the  ancients 
knew  how  to  carve  glass.)  These  white  figures  look  as  if  made  of 
the  finest  ivory  instead  of  being  carved  in  glass.  They  represent 
19 


ORNAMENTS    FROM   POMPEII. 


A  CITY  UNDER  THE  GROUND.  291 

masks  enveloped  in  festoons  of  vine  tendrils,  loaded  with  clusters  of 
grapes,  mingled  with  other  foliage,  on  which  birds  are  swinging, 
children  plucking  grapes  or  treading  them  under  foot,  or  blowing  on 
flutes,  or  tumbling  over  each  other  in  frolicsome  glee.  This  superb 
urn,  which  is  like  nothing  we  have  nowadays,  is  supposed  to  have 
been  intended  to  hold  the  ashes  of  the  dead.  For  it  was  a  custom  of 
ancient  days  to  burn  the  bodies  of  the  dead,  and  place  the  urns  con 
taining  their  ashes  in  magnificent  tombs. 

Instead  of  hanging  pictures  as  we  do,  the  Pompeiians  generally 
had  them  painted  upon  the  smoothly  prepared  walls  of  their  halls  and 
saloons.  The  ashes  of  Vesuvius  preserved  these  paintings  so  well 
that,  when  first  exposed  to  the  light,  the  coloring  on  them  is  fresh  and 
vivid,  and  every  line  and  figure  clear  and  distinct.  But  the  sunlight 
soon  fades  them.  They  are  very  beautiful,  and  teach  us  much  about 
the  beliefs  and  customs  of  the  old  city. 

Lovely  and  graceful  as  were  these  pictures,  the  floors  of  the  houses 
are  much  more  wonderful.  They  are  marvels  of  art.  Not  only  are 
flowers  and  running  vines  and  complicated  designs  there  laid  in 
mosaics,  but  pictures  that  startle  with  their  life-like  beauty.  There 
are  many  of  these,  but  perhaps  the  finest  of  all  is  the  one  found  in 
the  same  house  with  the  Dancing  Faun.  -It  represents  a  battle.  A 
squadron  of  victorious  Greeks  is  rushing  upon  part  of  a  Persian  army. 
The  latter  are  turning  to  flee.  Those  around  the  vanquished  Persian 
king  think  only  of  their  safety,  but  the  king,  with  his  hand  extended 
towards  his  dying  general,  turns  his  back  upon  his  flying  forces,  and 
invites  death.  Every  figure  in  it  seems  to  be  in  motion.  You  seem 
to  hear  the  noise  of  battle,  and  to  see  the  rage,  fear,  triumph,  and 
pity  expressed  by  the  different  faces.  Think  of  such  wonderful  effects 
being  produced  by  putting  together  pieces  of  glasr.  and  marble, 
colored  enamel,  and  various  stones ! 


292 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


But,  leaving  all  these  beauties,  and  descending  to  homely  every 
day  life,  we  will  go  into  a  bakery.  Here  is  one  in  a  good  state  of 
preservation. 


DISCOVERIES   OF    LOAVES   OF    BREAD    BAKED    EIGHTEEN   HUNDRED    YEARS   AGO. 

It  is  a  mill  and  bakery  together.  The  Pompeiians  sent  their  grain 
to  the  baker,  and  he  grouhd  it  into  flour,  and,  making  it  into  dough, 
baked  it  and  sent  back  loaves  of  bread.  The  mills  look  like  huge 
hour-glasses.  They  are  made  of  two  cone-shaped  stones  with  the 
small  ends  together.  The  upper  one  revolved,  and  crushed  the  grain 
between  the  stones.  They  were  worked '  sometimes  by  a  slave,  but 
oftenest  by  a  donkey.  There  is  the  trough  for  kneading  the  bread, 


A  CITY  UNDER  THE  GROUND.  293 

the  arched  oven,  the  cavity  below  for  the  ashes,  the  large  vase  for 
water  with  which  to  sprinkle  the  crust  and  make  it  "  shiny,"  and 
the  pipe  to  carry  off  the  smoke.  In  one  of  these  ovens  were  found 
eighty-one  loaves,  weighing  a  pound  each,  whole,  hard,  and  black, 
in  the  order  in  which  they  had  been  placed  on  the  23d  of  November, 
79.  Suppose  the  baker  who  placed  them  there  had  been  told  that 
eighteen  hundred  years  would  elapse  before  they  would  be  taken 
out! 

Having  wandered  about  the  city,  and  looked  at  all  the  streets, 
monuments,  and  dwellings,  and  having  seen  very  much  more  than  I 
have  here  described — the  Forum,  or  Town  Hall,  the  theatres,  baths, 
stores,  temples,  the  street  where  the  tombs  are — and  having  looked  at 
the  rude  cross  carved  on  a  wall,  showing  that  the  religion  of  Christ 
had  penetrated  to  this  Pagan  city — having  examined  all  these,  you 
will  visit  the  amphitheatre. 

To  do  this  we  must  leave  the  part  of  the  city  that  has  interested 
us  so  much,  and,  passing  once  more  through  the  vineyards  and  or 
chards  that  still  cover  a  large  portion  of  the  city,  descend  again  into 
a  sort  of  ravine,  where  we  will  find  the  amphitheatre.  It  was  quite  as 
the  end  of  the  city,  next  to  the  wall.  It  is  a  circus.  The  large  open 
space  in  the  centre  was  called  the  arena.  Here  there  were  fierce  and 
bloody  fights  ;  wild  beasts  fought  with  each  other,  or  with  men  train 
ed  to  the  business  and  called  gladiators,  and  these  gladiators  often 
fought  with  each  other — all  for  the  amusement  of  the  people  who 
were  never  satisfied  unless  a  quantity  of  blood  was  shed,  and  many 
were  killed.  This  arena  was  covered  with  sand,  and  a  ditch  filled 
with  water  separated  it  from  the  seats. 

The  seats  arose  from  this  arena,  tier  above  tier.  There  were  three 
divisions  of  them,  separating  the  rich  from  the  middle  class,  and  these 
again  from  the  slaves.  It  was  well  arranged  for  the  comfort  of  the 


294 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


audience,  having  wide  aisles  and  plenty  of  places  of  exit.  The  whole 
was  covered  with  an  awning.  In  the  wall  around  the  arena  are  the 
holes  where  thick  iron  bars  were  inserted  as  a  precaution  against  the 
bounds  of  the  panthers.  To  the  right  of  the  principal  entrance  are 
two  square  rooms  with  gratings  where  the  wild  beasts  were  kept 
This  amphitheatre  would  hold  twenty  thousand  persons  ! 


THE   AMPHITHEATRE   OF   POMPEII. 


We  visit  this  place  last  because  it  was  while  the  amphitheatre  was 
crowded  with  people  intent  upon  the  bloody  spectacle ;  while  wild 
beasts,  and  men  more  cruel  than  the  beasts,  were  fighting  together, 
and  spectators  less  pitiful  than  either  were  greedily  enjoying  it,  that 


A  CITY  UNDER  THE  GROUND.  295 

suddenly  the  ground  trembled  violently.  This  perhaps  was  not  per 
ceived  in  the  circus,  on  account  of  the  excitement  all  were  in,  and  the 
noise  that  was  going  on  in  the  arena.  But  it  was  soon  followed  by 
a  whirlwind  of  ashes,  and  lurid  flashes  of  flame  darted  across  the  sky. 
The  beasts  were  instantly  tamed,  and  cowered  down  in  abject  terror, 
and  the  gladiators,  for  the  first  time  in  their  lives,  grew  pale  with 
fear.  Then  the  startled  crowd  within  the  vast  building  heard  from 
the  streets  the  fearful  cry :  "  Vesuvius  is  on  fire  !  "  In  an  instant  the 
spectacle  is  forgotten  ;  the  terrified  crowd  rush  out  of  the  building, 
and  happy  is  it  for  them  that  the  architects  have  provided  so  many 
places  of  exit.  Some  fled  towards  the  sea,  and  some  to  the  open 
country.  Those  who  reached  the  ships  were  saved,  but  woe  to  those 
who  went  to  their  homes  to  collect  their  valuables  to  take  with  them, 
or  who  took  refuge  under  cover  in  the  cellars. 

After  the  rain  of  ashes  came  a  shower  of  blazing  stones,  which  fell 
uninterruptedly,  setting  fire  to  all  parts  of  the  city  and  blocking  up 
the  streets  with  burning  masses.  And  then  a  fresh  storm  of  ashes 
sweeping  down  would  partly  smother  the  flames,  but,  blocking  up  the 
doorways,  would  stifle  those  within  the  houses.  And  to  add  to  the 
horror,  the  volumes  of  smoke  that  poured  from  the  mountain  caused 
a  darkness  deeper  than  night  to  settle  on  the  doomed  city,  through 
which  the  people  groped  their  way,  except  when  lighted  by  the  burn 
ing  houses.  What  horror  and  confusion  in  the  streets !  Friends 
seeking  each  other  with  faces  of  utter  despair ;  the  groans  of  the 
dying  mingled  with  the  crash  of  falling  buildings ;  the  pelting  of  the 
fiery  stones  ;  the  shrieks  of  women  and  children ;  the  terrific  peals  of 
thunder. 

So  ended  the  day,  and  the  dreadful  scene  went  on  far  into  the 
night.  In  a  few  hours  the  silence  of  death  fell  upon  the  city.  .  The 
ashes  continued  to  pour  steadily  down  upon  it,  and  drifting  into  every 


296  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

crevice  of  the  buildings,  and  settling  like  a  closely-fitting  shroud 
around  the  thousands  and  thousands  of  dead  bodies,  preserved  all 
that  the  flames  had  spared  for.  the  eyes  of  the  curious  who  should 
live  centuries  after.  And  a  gray  ashy  hill  blotted  out  Pompeii  from 
the  sight  of  that  generation. 

Hundreds  of  skeletons  have  already  been  found,  and  their  expres 
sive  attitudes  tell  us  the  story  of  their  death.  We  know  of  the  pitiful 
avarice  and  vanity  of  many  of  the  rich  ladies  who  went  to  their  homes 
to  save  their  jewels,  and  fell  with  them  clutched  tightly  in  their  hands. 
One  woman  in  the  house  of  the  Faun  was  loaded  with  jewels,  and 
had  died  in  the  vain  effort  to  hold  up  with  her  outstretched  arms  the 
ceiling  that  was  crushing  down  upon  her.  But  women  were  not  the 
only  ones  who  showed  an  avaricious  disposition  in  the  midst  of  the 
thunders  and  flames  of  Vesuvius.  Men  had  tried  to  carry  off  their 
money,  and  the  delay  had  cost  them  their  lives,  and  they  were  buried 
in  the  ashes  with  the  coins  they  so  highly  valued.  Diomed,  one  of 
the  richest  men  of  Pompeii,  abandoned  his  wife  and  daughters  and 
was  fleeing  with  a  bag  of  silver  when  he  was  stifled  in  front  of  his 
garden  by  noxious  vapors.  In  the  cellar  of  his  house  were  found  the 
corpses  of  seventeen  women  and  children. 

A  priest  was  discovered  in  the  temple  of  Isis,  holding  fast  to  an 
axe  with  which  he  had  cut  his  way  through  two  walls,  and  died  at  the 
third.  In  a  shop  two  lovers  had  died  in  each  other's  arms.  A 
woman  carrying  a  baby  had  sought  refuge  in  a  tomb,  but  the  ashes 
had  walled  them  tightly  in.  A  soldier  died  bravely  at  his  post,  erect 
before  a  city  gate,  one  hand  on  his  spear  and  the  other  on  his  mouth, 
as  if  to  keep  from  breathing  the  stifling  gases. 

Thus  perished  in  a  short  time  over  thirty  thousand  citizens  and 
strangers  in  the  city  of  Pompeii,  now  a  city  under  the  ground. 


THE  COACHMAN. 


THE   COACHMAN. 

WHEN  a  boy  sees  a  coachman  driving  two  showy,  high-stepping 
horses  along  the  street,  or,  better  still,  over  a  level  country  road, 
with  his  long  whip  curling  in  the  air,  which  whip  he  now  and  then 
flirts  so  as  to  make  a  sharp,  cracking  noise  over  the  horses'  heads, 
and  occasionally  brings  down  with  a  light  flick  upon  the  flanks  of  the 
right  or  left  horse, — the  carriage,  shining  with  varnish  and  plate,  roll 
ing  along  swiftly  and  smoothly, — the  little  boy  is  apt  to  think  that 
coachman  must  be  a  very  happy  mortal. 

If  the  man  on  the  carriage-box  sees  the  boy  looking  at  him  with 
so  much  admiration,  he  will  probably  throw  him  a  jolly  little  laugh 
and  a  friendly  nod,  and,  gathering  up  the  reins  and  drawing  them  in 
tightly  so  as  to  arch  the  horses'  necks  and  make  them  look  prouder 
and  more  stately  than  before,  he  will  give  a  loud  crack  with  his  curl- 


298  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

ing  whip-lash,  and  the  horses  will  start  off  at  a  rapid  trot,  and  the 
carriage  will  sweep  around  a  curve  in  the  road  so  gracefully  that  the 
boy's  heart  will  be  filled  with  envy — not  of  the  persons  in  the  car 
riage — oh,  no  !  riding  in  a  close  carriage  is  a  very  tame  and  dull  affair ; 
but  he  will  envy  the  driver.  An  ambition  springs  up  in  his  mind  at 
that  instant.  Of  all  things  in  the  world  he  would  rather  be  a  coach 
man  !  That  shall  be  his  business  when  he  grows  up  to  be  a  man. 
And  the  chances  are  that  when  he  goes  home  he  tells  his  father  so. 

But  if  the  little  boy,  instead  of  lying  tucked  in  his  warm  bed,  should 
be  set  down  at  twelve  o'clock  at  night  upon  the  pavement  in  front  of 
that  great  house  with  the  tall  lamps  on  the  steps,  he  would  see  this 
same  coachman  under  conditions  that  he  would  not  envy  at  all. 

The  'empty  carriage  is  close  to  the  curb-stone,  with  the  door  swing 
ing  open  as  if  to  urge  the  owners  to  hurry  and  take  possession.  The 
high-stepping  trotters  are  covered  with  blankets  to  protect  them  from 
the  piercing  cold,  and,  with  their  heads  drooping,  are  either  asleep  or 
wondering  why  they  are  not  put  into  the  stable  to  take  their  night's 
rest;  and  the  coachman  is  dancing  about  on  the  pavement  to  keep 
his  feet  warm — not  by  any  means  a  merry  kind  of  dance,  although  he 
moves  about  pretty  briskly.  He  has  taken  off  his  gloves,  for  they 
seem  to  make  his  hands  colder,  and  now  he  has  thrust  one  hand  into 
his  pocket  and  is  blowing  on  the  other  with  all  his  might.  His  whip, 
that  curled  so  defiantly  in  the  air,  is  now  pushed  under  his  arm,  and 
the  lash  is  trailing,  limp  and  draggled,  on  the  stones.  He  is  warmly 
clad,  and  his  great-coat  has  three  capes,  but  all  cannot  put  sufficient 
heat  into  his  body,  for  it  is  a  bitter  cold  night,  and  the  wind  comes 
howling  down  the  street  as  if  it  would  like  to  bite  off  everybody's 
ears  and  noses.  It  shakes  the  leafless  branches  of  the  trees  until 
they  all  seem  to  be  moaning  and  groaning  together.  The  moon  is 
just  rising  over  the  church,  and  the  coachman  is  standing  right  in  a 


THE  COACHMAN.  299 


broad  patch  of  its  light.  But  moonlight,  though  very  beautiful  when 
you  are  where  you  can  comfortably  admire  it,  never  warmed  anybody 
yet.  And  so  the  poor  coachman  gets  no  good  out  of  that.. 

There  is  a  party  in  the  great  house.  The  boy  is  standing  where 
he  can  only  see  the  lower  steps  and  the  tall  lamps,  but  the  coachman 
can  see  that  it  is  lighted  from  garret  to  cellar.  He  knows  that  it  is 
warm  as  summer  in  there.  There  are  stands  of  flowers  all  the  way 
up  the  stairways,  baskets  of  them  are  swinging  from  the  ceilings,  and 
vines  are  trailing  over  the  walls.  ,  * 

Who  in  there  could  ever  guess  how  bleak  and  cold  it  is  outside ! 
Ladies  in  shimmering  silks  and  satins,  and  glittering  with  jewels,  are 
flitting  about  the  halls,  and  floating  up  and  down  the  rooms  in  grace 
ful  dances,  to  the  sound  of  music  that  only  comes  out  to  the  coachman 
in  fitful  bursts. 

He  has  amused  himself  watching  all  this  during  part  of  the  even 
ing,  but  now  he  is  looking  in  at  the  side-light  of  the  door  to  see  if 
there  are  any  signs  of  the  breaking  up  of  the  party,  or  if  those  he  is 
to  take  home  are  ready  to  go  away.  He  is  getting  very  impatient, 
and  let  us  hope  they  will  soon  come  out  and  relieve  him. 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


GEYSERS,   AND   HOW  THEY  WORK. 


THE    GRAND    GEYSER   OF   ICELAND. 


GEYSERS,  or  foun 
tains  of  hot  water  or 
mud,  are  found  in  sev 
eral  parts  of  the  world. 
Iceland  possesses  the 
grandest  one,  but  in 
California  there  are  a 
great  many  of  these 
natural  hot  fountains, 
most  of  which  throw 
forth  mud  as  well  as 
water.  Some  of  the 
American  Geysers  are 
terrible  things  to  be 
hold.  They  are  gen 
erally  found  near  each 
other,  in  particular  lo 
calities,  and  any  one 
wandering  about  a- 

j|  mong  them  sees  in  one 
place  a  great  pool  full 
of  black  bubbling  con- 

8  tents,  so  hot  that  an  egg 
thrown  in  the  spring 
will  be  boiled  in  a 
minute  or  two;  there 
he  sees  another  spring 


GEYSERS,  AND  HOW  THEY  WORK.  301 


throwing  up  boiling  mud  a  few  feet  in  the  air ;  there  another  one, 
quiet  now,  but  which  may  at  any  time  burst  out  and  send  its  hot 
contents  high  above  the  heads  of  the  spectators;  here  a  great  hole 
in  the  ground,  out  of  which  constantly  issues  a  column  of  steam,  and 
everywhere  are  cracks  and  crevices  in  the  earth,  out  of  which  come 
little  jets  of  steam,  and  which  give  the  idea  that  it  would  not  require  a 
very  heavy  blow  to  break  in,  at  any  point,  the  crust  of  the  earth,  and 
let  the  adventurous  traveller  drop  down  into  the  boiling  mass  below. 

In  Iceland  the  Geysers  are  not  quite  so  terrible  in  their  aspect  as 
those  in  California,  but  they  are  bad  enough.  Their  contents  are 
generally  water,  some  hot  and  bubbling,  and  some  hot  and  still ;  while 
the  Great  Geyser,  the  grandest  work  of  the  kind  in  the  world,  bursts 
forth  at  times  with  great  violence,  sending  jets  of  hot  water  hundreds 
of  feet  into  the  air. 

These  wonderful  hot  springs,  wherever  they  have  been  found, 
have  excited  the  greatest  attention  and  interest,  in  travellers  and 
scientific  men,  and  their  workings  have  been  explained  somewhat  in 
this  way : — 

Water  having  gradually  accumulated  in  vast  underground  crevices 
and  cavities,  is  heated  by  the  fires,  which,  in  volcanic  regions,  are  not 
very  far  from  the  surface  of  the  earth.  If  there  is  a  channel  or  tube 
from  the  reservoir  to  the  surface,  the  water  will  expand  and  rise  until 
it  fills  the  basin  which  is  generally  found  at  the  mouth  of  hot  springs. 
But  the  water  beneath,  being  still  further  heated,  will  be  changed 
into  steam,  which  will  at  times  burst  out  with  great  force,  carrying 
with  it  a  column  of  water  high  into  the  air.  When  this  water  falls 
back  into  the  basin  it  is  much  cooler,  on  account  of  its  contact  with  the 
air,  and  it  cools  the  water  in  the  basin,  and  also  condenses  the  steam 
in  the  tube  or  channel  leading  from  the  reservoir.  The  spring  is  then 
quiet  until  enough  steam  is  again  formed  to  cause  another  eruption. 


302 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


A  celebrated  German  chemist  named  Bunsen  constructed  an  appa 
ratus  for  the  purpose  of  showing  the 
operations  of  Geysers.  Here  it  is. 

You  see  that  the  two  fires  in  the  .en 
graving — one  lower  and  larger  than  the 
other,  because  the  heat  of  the  earth 
increases  as  we  get  farther  from  the  sur 
face — will  heat  the  water  in  the  iron  tube 
very  much  as  water  is  heated  in  a  real 
Geyser ;  and  when  steam  enough  is 
formed,  a  column  of  hot  water  is  thrown 
out  of  the  basin.  The  great  subterra 
nean  reservoir  is  not  imitated  in  this  ap 
paratus,  but  the  action  is  the  same  as  if 
the  tube  arose  from  an  iron  vessel. 
There  is  a  great  deal  in  Bunsen's  de 
scription  of  this  contrivance,  in  regard 
to  the  difference  in  the  temperature  of 
the  water  in  that  part  of  the  tube  be 
tween  the  two  fires,  and  that  in  the 
upper  portion,  which  explains  the  inter 
mittent  character  of  the  eruptions  of  a 
Geyser,  but  it  is  not  necessary  for  us  to  , 
go  into  all  his  details. 

When  we  know  that  under  a  Geyser 
the  water  is  boiling  in  a  great  reservoir 
which  communicates  with  the  surface  by 
WONDERS  OK  HEAT.  a   natural  tube  or  spout,  we  need  not 

wonder  that  occasionally  a  volume  of  steam  bursts  forth,  sending  a 

column  of  water  far  into  the  air. 


A  GIANT  PUFF-BALL. 


A   GIANT   PUFF-BALL. 

I  SUPPOSE  you  have  all  seen  puff-balls,  which  grow  in  the  fields  like 
mushrooms  and  toadstools,  but  I  am  quite  sure,  that  you  never  saw 
anything  of  the  kind  quite  so  large  as  that  one  in  the  picture.  And 
yet  that  engraving  was  made  from  a  drawing  from  the  puff-ball  itself. 
So  we  need  not  suppose  that  there  is  anything  fanciful  about  it. 

The  vegetable  in  question  is  a  kind  of  fungi  called  the  Gigantic 
Lycoperdon,  and  it  attains  its  enormous  size  in  one  night !  It  springs 
from  a  seed  so  small  that  you  could  not  see  it,  and  grows,  while  you 
are  asleep,  to  be  bigger,  perhaps,  than  you  are  yourself! 


3o4  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

. f 

Think  of  that !  How  would  you  like  to  plant  the  whole  garden, 
some  afternoon,  with  that  kind  of  seed  ?  Would  not  your  father  and 
mother,  and  everybody  else,  be  astounded  when  they  woke  up»  and 
saw  a  couple  of  hundred  of  those  things,  as  big  as  barrels,  filling  up 
every  bed ! 

They  would  certainly  think  it  was  the  most  astonishing  crop  they 
had  ever  seen,  and  there  might  be  people  who  would  suppose  that 
fairies  or  magicians  had  been  about. 

The  great  trouble  about  such  a  crop  would  be  that  it  would  be 
good  for  nothing. 

I  cannot  imagine  what  any  one  would  do  with  a  barnful  of  Lyco- 
perdons. 

But  it  would  be  wonderfully  interesting  to  watch  the  growth  of  such 
a  fungus.  You  could  see  it  grow.  In  one  night  you  could  see  its 
whole  life,  from  almost  nothing  at  all  to  that  enormous  ball  in  the 
picture.  Nature  could  hardly  show  us  a  more  astonishing  sight  than 
that. 


TICKLED  BY  A  STRA  W. 


TICKLED   BY  A  STRAW. 

FROM  his  dreams  of  tops  and  marbles, 
Where  the  soaring  kites  he  saw, 

Is  that  little  urchin  wakened, 
Tickled  by  a  wheaten  straw. 

How  do  you  suppose  he  likes  it, 
Young  one  with  annoying  paw  ? 

If  I  only  were  your  mother, 

I'd  tickle  you  with  birchen  straw. 

Soon  enough,  from  pleasant  dreaming, 
You'll  be  wakened  by  the  law, 

Which  provides  for  every  vision 
Some  sort  of  provoking  straw. 

20 


3o6  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

In  dreams  of  play,  or  hope,  or  loving, 
When  plans  of  happiness  you  draw, 

Underneath  your  nose  may  wiggle 
Life's  most  aggravating  straw. 


THE  LIGHT  IN  THE  CASTLE.  307 


THE   LIGHT   IN   THE   CASTLE. 

ON  a  high  hill,  in  a  lonely  part  of  Europe,  there  stood  a  ruined 
castle.  No  one  lived  there,  for  the  windows  were  destitute  of  glass ; 
there  were  but  few  planks  left  of  the  floors ;  the  roof  was  gone ;  and 
the  do'ors  had  long  ago  rotted  off  their  hinges.  So  that  any  persons 
who  should  take  up  their  residence  in  this  castle  would  be  exposed 
to  the  rain,  when  there  was  a  storm ;  to  the  wind,  when  it  blew ;  and 
to  robbers,  if  they  should  come  ;  besides  running  the  risk  of  breaking 
their  necks  by  falling  between  the  rafters,  every  time  they  attempted 
to  walk  about  the  house. 

It  was  a  very  solemn,  lonely,  and  desolate  castle,  and  for  many 
and  many  a  year  no  human  being  had  been  known  to  set  foot  inside 
of  it. 

It  was  about  ten  o'clock  of  a  summer  night  that  Hubert  Flamry 
and  his  sister  Hulda  were  returning  to  their  home  from  an  errand  to 
a  distant  village,  where  they  had  been  belated.  Their  path  led  them 
quite  near  to  the  ruined  castle,  but  they  did  not  trouble  themselves  at 
all  on  this  account,  for  they  had  often  passed  it,  both  by  night  and 
day.  But  to-night  they  had  scarcely  caught  sight  of  the  venerable 
structure  when  Hubert  started  back,  and,  seizing  his  sister's  arm,  ex- 
Claimed  : 

"  Look,  Hulda !  look !     A  light  in  the  castle  !  " 

Little  Hulda  looked  quickly  in  the  direction  in  which  her  brother 
was  pointing,  and,  sure  enough,  there  was  a  light  moving  about  the 
castle  as  if  some  one  was  inside,  carrying  a  lantern  from  room  to 
room.  The  children  stopped  and  stood  almost  motionless. 

"  What  can  it  be,  Hubert  ? "  whispered  Hulda. 


3o8  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  he.  "  It  may  be  a  man,  but  he  could  not 
walk  where  there  are  no  floors.  I'm  afraid  it's  a  ghost." 

"  Would  a  ghost  have  to  carry  a  light  to  see  by  ?  "  asked  Hulda.  , 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  Hubert,  trembling  in  both  his  knees,  "  but  I 
think  he  is  coming  out." 

It  did  seem  as  if  the  individual  with  the  light  was  about  to  leave  the 
castle.  At  one  moment  he  would  be  seen  near  one  of  the  lower 
windows,  and  then  he  would  pass  along  on  the  outside  of  the  walls, 
and  directly  Hubert  and  Hulda  both  made  up  their  minds  that  he  was 
coming  down  the  hill. 

"  Had  we  better  run  ?"  said  Hulda. 

"  No,"  replied  her  brother.     "  Let's  hide  in  the  bushes." 

So  they  hid. 

In  a  few  minutes  Hubert  grasped  his  sister  by  the  shoulder..  He 
was  trembling  so  much  that  the  bushes  shook  as  if  there  was  a  wind. 

"  Hulda  !  "  he  whispered,  "  he's  walking  along  the  brook,  right  on 
top  of  the  water ! " 

"Is  he  coming  this  way?"  sai%d  Hulda,  who  had  wrapped  her  head 
in  her  apron. 

"  Right  straight!"  cried  Hubert.  "  Give  me  your  hand,  Hulda!" 
And,  without  another  word;  the  boy  and  girl  burst  out  of  the  bushes 
and  ran  away  like  rabbits. 

When  Hulda,  breathless,   fell  down  on  the  grass,   Hubert  also 
stopped  and  looked  behind  him.     They  were  near  the  edge  of  the 
brook,  and  there,  coming  right  down  the  middle  of  the  stream,  was1 
the  light  which  had  so  frightened  them. 

"  Oh-h !  Bother  !  "  said  Hubert.     , 

"  What  ? "  asked  poor  little  Hulda,  looking  up  from  the  ground. 

"  Why,  it's  only  a  Jack-o'-lantern ! "  said  Hubert.  "  Let's  go  home, 
Hulda." 


THE  LIGHT  IN  THE  CASTLE.  309 

As  they  were  hurrying  along  the  path  to  their  home,  Hubert  seemed 
very  much  provoked,  and  he  said  to  his  sister : 


"  Hulda,  it  was  very  foolish  for  you  to  be  frightened  at  such  a  thing 
as  that." 

"  Me  ? "  said  Hulda,  opening  her  eyes  very  wide,  "  I  guess  you 
vere  just  as  much  frightened  as  I  was." 

"  You  might  have  known  that  no  real  person  would  be  wandering 
about  the  castle  at  night,  and  a  ghost  couldn't  carry  anything,  for  his 
fingers  are  all  smoke."  ,  . 

"  You  ought  to  have  known  that  too,  I  should  say,  Mr.  Hubert," 
answered  Hulda. 

"  And  then,  I  don't  believe  the  light  was  in  the  castle  at  all.    It  was 


3io  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

just  bobbing  about  between  us  and  the  castle,  and  we  thought  it  was 
inside.  You  ought  to  have  thought  of  that,  Hulda." 

"  Me ! "  exclaimed  little  Hulda,  her  eyes  almost  as  big  as  two  silver 
dollars. 

It  always  seems  to  me  a  great  pity  that  there  should  be  such  boys 
as  Hubert  Flamry. 


THE  OAK  TREE. 


THE  OAK  TREE. 

I  REALLY  don't  know  which  liked  the  great  oak  best,  Harry  or  his 
grandfather.     Harry  was  a  sturdy  little  fellow,  seven  years  old,  and 


3i2  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

could  play  ball,  and  fly  kites,  and  all  such  things,  when  he  had 
anybody  to  play  with.  But  his  father's  house  was  a  long  distance 
from  the  village,  and  so  he  did  hot  often  have  playmates,  and  it  is 
poor  sport  to  play  marbles  or  ball  by  one's  self.  He  did  sometimes 
roll  his  hoop  or  fly  his  kite  when  alone,  but  he  would  soon  get  tired, 
and  then,  if  it  was  a  clear  day,  he  would  most  likely  say : 

"  Grandpa,  don't  you  want  to  go  to  the  big  oak?" 

And  Grandpa  would  answer : 

"  Of  course,  child,  we  will  go.  I  am  always  glad  to  give  you  that 
pleasure." 

This  he  said,  but  everybody  knew  he  liked  to  go  for  his  own 
pleasure  too.  .So  Harry  would 'bring  Grandpa  his  cane  and  hat,  and 
away  they  would  go  down  the  crooked  path  through  the  field. 
When  -they  got  to  the  draw-bars,  Harry  took  them  down  for  his 
Grandpa  to  pass  through,  and  then  put  them  carefully  up  again,  so 
that  the  cows  should  not  get  out  of  the  pasture.  And,  when  this  was 
done,  there  they  were  at  the  oak-tree. 

This  was  a  very  large  tree,  indeed,  and  its  branches  extended  over 
the  road  quite  to  the  opposite  side.  Right  at  the  foot  of  the  tree 
was  a  clear,  cold  spring,  from  which  a  little  brook  trickled,  and  lost 
itself  in  the  grass.  A  dipper  was  fastened  to  a  projecting  root  above 
the  spring,  that  thirsty  travellers  might  drink.  The  road  by  the  side 
of  which  the  oak  stood  was  a  very  public  one,  for  it  led  to  a  city 
twenty  miles  away.  So  a  great  many  persons  passed  the  tree,  and 
stopped  at  the  spring  to  drink.  And  that  was  the  reason  why  little 
Harry  and  his  Grandpa  were  so  fond  of  going  there.  It  was  really 
quite  a  lively  place.  Carriages  would  bowl  along,  all  glittering  with 
plate  and  glass,  and  with  drivers  in  livery ;  market  wagons  would 
rattle  by  with  geese  squawking,  ducks  quacking,  and  pigs  squealing; 
horsemen  would  gallop  past  on  splendid  horses ;  hay  wagons  would 


THE  OAK  TREE.  313 


creak  slowly  by,  drawn  by  great  oxen ;  and,  best  of  all,  the  stage 
would  dash  furiously  up,  with  the  horses  in  a  swinging  trot,  and  the 
driver  cracking  his  whip,  and  the  bright  red  stage  swaying  from  side 
to  side. 

It  generally  happened  that  somebody  in  the  stage  wanted  a  drink 
from  the  spring,  and  Harry  would  take  the  cup  handed  out  of  the 
window,  and  dip  it  full  of  the  cold,  sparkling  water,  and  then  there 
would  be  a  few  minutes  of  friendly  chat. 

But  the  most  of  the  talk  was  with  the  foot-passengers.  The  old 
man  sat  on  a  bench  in  the  cool  shade,  and  the  child  would  run  about 
and  play  until  some  one  came  along.  Then  he  would  march  up  to  the 
tree  and  stand  with  his  hands  in  his  pockets  to  hear  what  was  said, 
very  often  having  a  good  deal  to  say  himself.  Sometimes  these 
people  would  stay  a  long  time  under  the  shade  of  the  tree,  and  there 
were  so  many  different  people,  and  they  had  so  many  different  kinds 
of  things  to  say,  that  Harry  thought  it  was  like  hearing  a  book  read, 
only  a  great  deal  better. 

At  one  time  it  would  be  a  soldier,  who  had  wonderful  things  to  tell 
of  the  battles  he  had  fought.  Another  day  it  would  be  a  sailor,  who, 
while  smoking  his  pipe,  would  talk  about  the  trackless  deserts  of 
burning  sands ;  and  of  the  groves  of  cinnamon,  and  all  sweet  spices, 
where  bright-colored  parrots  are  found ;  and  of  the  great  storms  at 
sea,  when  the  waves  dashed  ships  to  pieces.  Another  time  a  foreigner 
would  have  much  to  say  about  the  strange  people  and  customs  of 
other  lands ;  and  sometimes  they  talked  in  a  strange  language,  and 
could  not  be  understood,,  and  that  was  very  amusing. 

The  organ-grinders  were  the  best,  for  they  would  play  such 
beautiful  tunes,  and  perhaps  there  would  be  children  who  would 
tinkle  their  tambourines,  and  sing  the  songs  that  the  girls  sing 
in  Italy  when  they  t'read  out  the  grapes  for  wine.  And  sometimes 


314  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

there  would  be — oh,  joy !  a  monkey !  And  then  what  fun  Harry 
would  have ! 

And  sometimes  there  were  poor  men  and  women,  tired  and  sick, 
who  had  nothing  to  say  but  what  was  sad. 

Occasionally  an  artist  would  stop  under  the  tree.  He  would  have 
a  great  many  of  his  sketches  with  him,  which  he  would  show  .to  Harry 
and  Grandpa.  And  then  he  would  go  off  to  a  distance,  and  make  a 
picture  of  the  splendid  oak,  with  the  old  man  and  child  under  it,  and 
perhaps  he  would  put  into  it  some  poor  woman  with  her  baby;  who 
happened  to  be  there,  and  some  poor  girl  drinking  out  of  the  spring. 
And  Harry  and  Grandpa  always  thought  this  better  than  any  of  the 
other  pictures  he  showed  them. 


THE  SEA-SIDE. 


3*5 


THE  SEA-SIDE. 

THE  ocean  is  so  wonderful  itself,  that  it  invests  with  some  of  its 
peculiar  interest  the  very  sands  and  rocks  that  lie  upon  its  edges. 
There  is  always  something  to  see  at  the  sea-side ;  whether  you  walk 
along  the  lonely  coast ;  go  down  among  the  fishermen,  and  their  nets 


3 16  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

and  boats  ;  or  pass  along  the  sands,  lively  with  crowds  of  many- 
colored  bathers. 

But  if  there  was  nothing  but  the  grand  old  ocean  itself,  it  would  be 
enough.  Whether  it  is  calm  and  quiet,  just  rolling  in  steadily  upon 
the  shore,  in  long  lines  of  waves,  which  come  sweeping  and  curling 
upon  the  beach  and  then  breaking,  spread  far  out  over  the  sand — or 
whether  the  storm-waves,  tossing  high  their  lofty  heads,  come  rush 
ing  madly  upon  the  coast,  dashing  themselves  upon  the  sands  and 
thundering  up  against  the  rocks,  the  sea  is  grand !  %  . 

What  a  tremendous  thing  an  ocean  is  !  Ever  in  powerful  motion  ; 
so  wonderful  and  awful  in  its  unknown  depths,  and  stretching  so  far, 
far,  far  away ! 

But,  even  on  the  coasts  of  this  great  ocean,  our  days  seem  all  too 
short,  as  we  search  among  the  rocks  and  in  the  little  pools  for  the 
curiosities  of  the  sea-side.  Here  are  shells,  and  shells,  and  shells, — 
from  the  great  conch,  which  you  put  up  to  your  ear  to  hear  the  sound 
of  the  sea  within,  to  the  tiny  things  which  we  find  stored  away  in 
little  round  cases,  which  are  all  fastened  together  in  a  string,  like  the 
rattles  of  a  snake. 

In  the  shallow  pools  that  have  been  left  by  the  tide  we  may  find  a 
crab  or  two,  perhaps,  some  jelly-fish,  star-fish,  and  those  wonderful 
living  flowers,  the  sea-anemones.  And  then  we  will  watch  the 
great  gulls  sweeping  about  in  the  air,  and  if  we  are  lucky,  we  may 
see  an  army  of  little  fiddler-crabs  marching  along,  each  one  with 
one  claw  in  the  air.  We  may  gather  sea-side  diamonds ;  we  may, 
perhaps,  go  in  and  bathe,  and  who  can  tell  everything  that  we  may 
do  on  the  shores  of  the  grand  old  ocean ! 

.  And  if  we  ever  get  among  the  fishermen,  then  we  are  sure  to  have 
good  times  of  still  another  kind.  Then  we  shall  see  the  men  who 
live  by  the  sea,  and  on  the  sea.  We  shall  wander  along  the  shore, 


THE  SEA-SIDE. 


and  look  at  their  fishing-vessels,  which  seem  so  small  when  they  are 
on  the  water,  but  which  loom  up  high  above  our  heads  when  they 
are  drawn  up  on  the  shore — some  with  their  clumsy-looking  rudders 


3i8  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

hauled  up  out  of  danger,  and  others  with  rudder  and  keel  resting 
together  on  the  rough  beach.  Anchors,  buoys,  bits  of  chains,  and 
hawsers  lie  about  the  shore,  while  nets  are  hanging  at  the  doors  of  the 
fishermen's  cottages,  some  hung  up  to  dry  and  some  hung  up  to  mend. 

Here  we  may  often  watch  the  fishermen  putting  out  to  sea  in 
their  dirty,  but  strong,  little  vessels,  which  go  bouncing  away  on  the 
waves,  their  big  sails  appearing  so  much  too  large  for  the  boats 
that  it  seems  to  us,  every  now  and  then,  as  if  they  must  certainly  top 
ple  over.  And  then,  at  other  times,  we  will  see  the  fishermen  re 
turning,  and  will  be  on  the  beach  when  the  boats  are  drawn  up  on 
the  sand,  and  the  fish,  some  white,  some  gray,  some  black,  but  all 
glittering  and  smooth,  are  tumbled  into  baskets  and  carried  up  to  the 
houses  to  be  salted  down,  or  sent  away  fresh  for  the  markets. 

Then  the  gulls  come  circling  about  the  scene,  and  the  ducks  that 
live  at  the  fishermen's  houses  come  waddling  down  to  see  about 
any  little  fishes  that  may  be  thrown  away  upon  the  sand  ;  and  men 
with  tarpaulin  coats  and  flannel  shirts  sit  on  old  anchors  and  lean  up 
against  the  boats,  smoking  short  pipes  while  they  talk  about  cod,  and 
mackerel,  'and  mainsails  and  booms ;  and,  best  of  all,  the  delightful 
sea-breeze  comes  sweeping  in,  browning  our  cheeks,  reddening  our 
blood,  and  giving  us  such  a  splendid  appetite  that  even  the  fishermen 
themselves  could  not  throw  us  very  far  into  the  shade,  at  meal-times. 

As  for  bathing  in  the  sea,  plunging  into  the  surf,  with  the  waves 
breaking  over  your  head  and  the  water  dashing  and  sparkling  all 
about  you,  I  need  not  say  much  about  that.  I  might  as  well  try  to 
describe  the  pleasure  of  eating  a  saucer  of  strawberries-and-cream, 
and  you  know  I  could  not  do  it. 

There  are  nations  who  never  see  the  ocean,  nor  have  anything  to 
do  with  it.  They  have  not  even  a  name  for  it. 

They  are  to  be  pitied  for  many  things,  but  for  nothing  more  than  this. 


THE  SICK  PIKE.  319 


THE   SICK   PIKE. 

• 

THERE  is  no  reason  why  a  pike  should  not  be  sick.  Everything 
that  has  life  is  subject  to  illness,  but  it  is  very  seldom  that  any  fish 
has  the  good  sense  and  the  good  fortune  of  the  pike  that  I  am  going 
to  tell  you  about. 

This  pike  was  a  good-sized  fellow,  weighing  about  six  pounds,  and 
he  belonged  to  the  Earl  of  Stamford,  who  lived  near  Durham,  Eng 
land.  His  story  was  read  by  Dr.  Warwick  to  the  Literary  and  Philo 
sophical  Society  of  Liverpool.  I  am  particular  about  these  authorities 
because  this  story  is  a  little  out  of  the  common  run. 

Dr.  Warwick  was  walking  by  a  lake,  in  the  Earl's  park,  and  the 
pike  was  lying  in  the  water  near  the  shore,  probably  asleep.  At  any 
rate,  when  it  saw  the  doctor  it  made  a  sudden  dart  into  deep  water 
and  dashed  its  head  against  a  sunken  post.  This  accident  seemed 
to  give  the  fish  great  pain,  for  it  pitched  and  tossed  about  in  the  lake, 
and  finally  rushed  up  to  the  surface  and  threw  itself  right  out  of  the 
water  on  to  the  bank. 

The  doctor  now  stooped  to  examine  it,  and  to  his  surprise  the  fish 
remained  perfectly  quiet  in  his  hands.  He  found  that  the  skull  was 
fractured  and  one  eye  was  injured  by  the  violence  with  which  the  fish 
had  struck  the  post.  With  a  silver  tooth-pick  (he  had  not  his  instru 
ments  with  him)  the  doctor  arranged  the  broken  portion  of  the  pike's 
skull,  and  when  the  operation  was  completed  he  placed  the  fish  in 
the  water.  For  a  minute  or  two  the  Pike  seemed  satisfied,  but  then 
it  jumped  out  of  the  water  on  to  the  bank  again.  The  doctor  put 
the  fish  back,  but  it  jumped  out  again,  and  repeated  this  performance 
several  times.  It  seemed  to  know  (and  how,  I  am  sure  I  have  not 
the  least  idea)  that  that  man  was  a  doctor,  and  it  did  not  intend  to 


320 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


leave  him  until  it  had  been  properly  treated — just  as  if  it  was  one  of 
his  best  patients. 

The  doctor  began  to  see  that  something  more  was  expected  of  him, 
and  so  he  called  a  game-keeper  to  him,  and  with  his  assistance  he  put 
a  bandage  around  the  pike's  head. 


When  this  surgical  operation  had  been  completed  the  pike  was  put 
back  into  the  water,  and  this  time  it  appeared  perfectly  satisfied,  and 
swam  away. 

The  next  day,  as  Dr.  Warwick  was  sitting  by  the  lake,  the  pike,  with 
the  bandage  around  its  head,  swam  up  and  stuck  its  head  out  of  the 
water,  near  the  doctor's  feet.  The  good  physician  took  up  the  fish, 


THE  SICK  PIKE. 


examined  the  wound,  and  finding  that  it  was  getting-  on  very  well, 
replaced  the  bandage  and  put  Mr.  Pike  into  the  lake  again. 

This  was  a  very  grateful  pike.  After  the  excellent  surgical  treat 
ment  it  received  from  Dr.  Warwick,  it  became  very  fond  of  him,  and 
whenever  he  walked  by  the  side  of  the  lake  it  would  swim  along  by 
him,  and  although.it  was  quite  shy  and  gloomy  when  other  people 
came  to  the  waterside,  it  was  always  glad  to  see  the  doctor,  and 
would  come  when  he  whistled,  and  eat  out  of  his  hand. 

I  suppose  in  the  whole  ocean,  and  in  all  the  rivers  and  lakes  of  the 
world,  there  are  not  more  than  two  or  three  fish  as  sensible  and 
grateful  as  this  pike.  In  fact,  it  was  very  well  for  Dr.  Warwick  that 
there  were  no  more  such  on  the  Earl  of  Stamford's  estate.  A  large 
practice  in  the  lake  must  soon  have  made  a  poor  man  of  him.,  for  I 
do  not  suppose  that  even. that  sensible  pike  would  have  paid  a  doctor's 
bill,  if  it  had  been  presented  to  him. 


21 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


TWO   KINDS   OF   BLOSSOMS. 

WHEN  the  winter  has  entirely  gone,  and  there  is  not  the  slightest 
vestige  left  of  snow  or  ice  ;  when  the  grass  is  beginning  to  be  beauti 
fully  green,  and  the  crocuses  and  jonquils  are  thrusting  their  pretty 


TWO  KINDS  OF  BLOSSOMS.  323 

heads  up  out  of  the  ground  ;  when  the  sun  is  getting  to  be  quite  warm 
and  the  breezes  very  pleasant,  then  is  the  time  for  blossoms. 

Then  it  is  especially  the  time  for  apple-blossoms.  Not  that  the 
peach  and  the  pear  and  the  cherry  trees  do  not  fill  their  branches 
with  pink  and  white  flowers,  and  make  as  lovely  a  spring  opening  as 
any  apple-trees  in  the  land.  Oh  no  !  It  is  only  because  there  are  so 
many  apple-trees  and  so  many  apple-orchards,  that  the  peaches  and 
pears  are  a  little  overlooked  in  blossom-time. 

A  sweet  place  is  the  apple-orchard,  when  the  grass  is  green, 
the  trees  are  full  of  flowers,  the  air  full  of  fragrance,  and  when 
every  breeze  brings  down  the  most  beautiful  showers  of  flowery 
snow. 

And  how  beautiful  and  delicate  is  every  individual  flower  !  We  are 
so  accustomed  to  looking  at  blossoms  in  the  mass — at  treesful  and 
whole  orchardsful — that  we  are  not  apt  to  think  that  those  great 
heaps  of  pink  and  loveliness  are  composed  of  little  flowers,  each  one 
perfect  in  itself. 

And  not  only  is  each  blossom  formed  of  the  most  beautiful  white 
petals,  shaded  with  pink ;  not  only  does  each  one  of  them  possess  a 
most  pleasant  and  delicate  perfume,  but  every  one  of  these  little 
flowers — every  one  which  comes  to  perfection,  I  mean — is  but  the 
precursor  of  an  apple.  This  one  may  be  a  Golden  Pippin  ;  that  one 
which  looks  just  like  it  may  be  the  forerunner  of  a  Belle-flower  ; 
while  the  little  green  speck  at  the  bottom  of  this  one  may  turn  into  a 
Russet,  with  his  sober  coat. 

The  birds  that  are  flying  among  the  branches  do  not  think  much 
about  the  apples  that  are  to  come,  I  reckon,  and  neither  do  the  early 
butterflies  that  flutter  about,  looking  very  much  like  falling  blossoms 
themselves.  And,  for  that  matter,  we  ourselves  need  not  think  too 
much  about  the  coming  apple  crop.  We  ought  sometimes  to  think 


324 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


of  and  enjoy  beauty  for  its  own  sake,  without  reference  to  what  it  may 
do  in  the  future  for  our  pockets  and  our  stomachs. 

There  are  other  kinds  of  blossoms  than  apple-blossoms,  or  those 
of  any  tree  whatever.  There  are  little  flowers  which  bloom  as  well 
or  better  in  winter  than  in  summer,  and  which  are  not,  in  fact,  flowers 
at  all. 

These  are  ice-blossoms. 

Perhaps  you  have  never  seen  any  of  them,  and  I  think  it  is  very 
likely,  for  they  can  only  be  formed  and  perceived  by  the  means  of 
suitable  instruments.  And  so  here  is  a  picture  of  some  ice-blossoms. 


V-y.i 


£>/7C    % 
jOxHS**»,   t 

j^^y i- 

N^H  ^> 

>1 


's&rt^? 


ffif«^ 

"^  f-1  "^>^C?H. 

ir*  ^f% 

*'         'SI     «^nJ^ 


rffk. 


These  curious  formations,  some  of  which  appear  like  stars,  others 
like  very  simple  blossoms,  while  others  are  very  complex  ;  and  some 
of  which  take  the  form  of  fern-leaves,  are  caused  to  appear  in  the 


TWO  KINDS  OF  J3LOSSOMS. 


325 


centre  of  a  block  of  ice  by  means  of  concentrated  rays  of  lights  which 
are  directed  through  the  ice  by  means  of  mirrors  and  lenses.  Some 
times  they  are  observed  by  means  of  a  magnifying-glass,  and  in  other 
experiments  their  images  are  thrown  upon  a  white  screen. 


We  may  consider  these  ice-flowers  as  very  beautiful  and  very  won 
derful,  but  they  are  not  a  whit  more  so  than  our  little  blossoms  of  the 
apple-orchard. 

The  latter  are  more  common,  and  have  to  produce  apples,  while 
the  ice-flowers  are  uncommon,  and  of  no  possible  use. 

That  is  the  difference  between  them. 


326  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


ABOUT   GLASS. 

GLASS  is  so  common  and  so  cheap  that  we  never  think  of  being 
grateful  for  it.  But  if  we  had  lived  a  few  centuries  ago,  when  the 
richest  people  had  only  wooden  shutters  to  their  windows,  which,  of 
course,  had  to  be  closed  whenever  it  was  cold  or  stormy,  making  the 
.house  as  dark  as  night,  and  had  then  been  placed  in  a  house  lighted 
by  glass  windows,  we  would  scarcely  have  found  words  to  express 
our  thankfulness.  It  would  have  been  like  taking  a  man  out  of  a 
dreary  prison  and  setting  him  in  the  bright  world  of  God's  blessed 
sunshine.  After  a  time  men  made  small  windows  of  stones  that  were 
partly  transparent ;  and  then  they  used  skins  prepared  something 
like  parchment,  and  finally  they  used  sashes  similar  to  ours,  but  in 
them  they  put  oiled  paper.  And  when  at  last  glass  came  into  use,  it 
was  so  costly  that  very  few  were  able  to  buy  it,  and  they  had  it  taken 
out  of  the  windows  and  stored  carefully  away  when  they  went  on  a 
journey,  as  people  now  store  away  pictures  and  silver-plate. 

Now,  when  a  boy  wants  a  clear,  white  glass  vial  for  any  purpose, 
he  can  buy  it  for  five  cents ;  and  for  a  few  pennies  a  little  girl  can 
buy  a  large  box  of  colored  beads  that  will  make  her  a  necklace  to  go 
several  times  around  her  neck,  and  bracelets  besides.  These  her 
elder  sister  regards  with  contempt ;  but  there  was  a  time  when  queens 
were  proud  to  wear  such.  The  oldest  article  of  glass  manufacture  in 
existence  is  a  bead.  It  has  an  inscription  on  it,  but  the  writing,  in 
stead  of  being  in  letters,  is  in  tiny  little  pictures. 

Here  you  see  the  bead,  and  the  funny  little  pictures  on  it.  The 
pictures  mean  this :  "  The  good  Queen  Ramaka,  the  loved  of  Athor, 
protectress  of  Thebes."  This  Queen  Ramaka  was  the  wife  of  a 
king  who  reigned  in  Thebes  more  than  three  thousand  years  ago, 


ABOUT  GLASS.  3*7 


which  is  certainly  a  very  long  time  for  a  little  glass  bead  to  remain 
unbroken  !     The  great  city  of  Thebes,  where  it  was  made,  has  been 


in  ruins  for  hundreds  of  years.  No  doubt  this  bead  was  part  of 
a  necklace  that  Queen  Ramaka  wore,  and  esteemed  as  highly  as 
ladies  now  value  their  rubies.  It  was  found  in  the  ruins  of  Thebes 
by  an  Englishman. 

It  may  be  thought  that  this  bead  contradicts  what  has  been  said 
about  there  being  a  time  when  glass  was  unknown,  and  that  time  only 
a  few  centuries  ago.  But  it  is  a  singular  fact  that  a  nation  will  per 
fectly  understand  some  art  or  manufacture  that  seems  'absolutely 
necessary  to  men's  comfort  and  convenience,  and  yet  this  art  in  time 
will  be  completely  lost,  and  things  that  were  in  common  use  will  pass 
as  completely  out  of  existence  as  if  they  had  never  been,  until,  in  after 
ages,  some  of  them  will  be  found  among  the  ruins  of  cities  and  in  old 
tombs.  In  this  way  we  have  found  out  that  ancient  nations  knew  how 
to  make  a  great  many  things  'that  enabled  them  to  live  as  comfortably 
and  luxuriously  as  we  do  now.  But  these  things  seem  to  have  per 
ished  with  the  nations  who  used  them,  and  for  centuries  people  lived 
comfortlessly  without  them,  until,  in  comparatively  modern  times,  they 
have  all  been  revived. 

Glass-making  is  one  of  these  arts.  It  was  known  in  the  early  ages 
of  the  world's  history.  There  are  pictures  that  were  painted  on 
tombs  two  thousand  years  before  Christ's  birth  which  represent  men 
blowing  glass,  pretty  much  as  it  is  done  now,  while  others  are  taking 


328 


R  O  UNDAB  O  UT  RAMBLES. 


pots  of  it  out  of  the  furnaces  in  a  melted  state.  But  in  those  days  it 
was  probably  costly,  and  not  in  common  use ;  but  the  rich  had  glass 
until  the  first  century  after  Christ,  when  it  disappeared,  and  the  art 
of  making  it  was  lost. 

The  city  of  Venice 
was  founded  in  the  fifth 
century,  and  here  we 
find  that  glass-making 
had  been  revived.  You 
will  see  by  this  picture 
of  a  Venetian  bottle  how 
well  they  succeeded  in 
the  manufacture  of  glass 
articles. 

Venice  soon  became 
celebrated  for  this  man 
ufacture,  and  was  for  a 
long  time  the  only  place 
where  glass  was  made. 
The  manufacturers  took 
great  pains  to  keep 
their  art  a  secret  from 
other  nations,  and  so 
did  the  government, 
because  they  were  all 
growing  rich  from  the 
money  it  brought  into 
the  city. 

In  almost  any  part  of 
the  world  to  which  you 


ABOUT  GLASS.  329 


may  chanee  to  go  you  will  find  Silica.  You  may  not  know  it  by 
that  name,  but  it  is  that  shining,  flinty  substance  you  see  in  sand  and 
rock-crystal.  It  is  found  in  a  very  great  number  of  things  besides 
these  two,  but  these  are  the  most  common. 

Lime  is  also  found  everywhere — in  earth,  in  stones,  in  vegetables 
and  bones,  and  hundreds  of  other  substances. 

Soda  is  a  common  article,  and  is  very  easily  produced  by  artificial 
means.  Potash,  which  has  the  same  properties  as  soda,  exists  in  all 
ashes. 

Now  silica,  and  lime,  and  soda,  or  potash,  when  melted  together, 
form  glass.  So  you  see  that  the  materials  for  making  this  substance 
which  adds  so  much  to  our  comfort  and  pleasure  are  freely  given  to 
all  countries.  And  after  Venice  had  set  the  example,  other  nations 
turned  their  attention  to  the  study  of  .glass-making,  and  soon  found 
out  this  fact,  in  spite  of  the  secrecy  of  the  Venetians.  After  a  time  the 
Germans  began  to  manufacture  glass  ;  and  then  the  Bohemians.  The 
latter  invented  engraving  on  glass,  which  art  had  also  been  known  to 
the  ancients,  and  then  been  lost.  They  also  learned  to  color  glass  so 
brilliantly  that  Bohemian  glass  became  more  fashionable  than  Vene 
tian,  and  has  been  highly  thought  of  down  to  the  present  day. 

On  the  next  page  we  see  an  immense  drinking-glass  of  German 
manufacture,  but  this  one  was  made  many  years  after  glass-making 
was  first  started  there. 

This  great  goblet,  which  it  takes  several  bottles  of  wine  to  fill,"  was 
passed  around  at  the  end  of  a  feast,  and  every  guest  was  expected  to 
take  a  sip  out  of  it.  This  was  a  very  social  way  of  drinking,  but  I 
think  on  the  whole  it  is  just  as  well  that  it  has  gone  out  of  fashion. 

The  old  Egyptians  made  glass 'bottles,  and  so  did  the  early  Romans, 
and  used  them  just  as  we  do  for  a  very  great  variety  of  things.  Their 
wine-bottles  were  of  glass,  sealed  and  labelled  like  ours.  We  might 


33° 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


suppose  that,  having  once  had  them,  people  would  never  be  without 
glass  bottles.     But  history  tells  a  different  story.     There  evidently 


came  a  time  when  glass  bottles  vanished  from  the  face  of  the  earth ; 
for  we  read  of  wooden  bottles,  and  those  of  goat-skin  and  leather,  but 


ABOUT  GLASS. 


33' 


there  is  no  mention -of  glass.  And  men  were  satisfied  with  these 
clumsy  contrivances,  because  in  process  of  time,  it  had  been  forgotten 
that  any  other  were  ever  made. 

Hundreds  of  years  rolled  away,  and 
•then,  behold !  glass  bottles  appeared 
again.  Now  there  is  such  a  demand 
for  them  that  one  country  alone- 
France — makes  sixty  thousand  tons 
of  bottles  every  year.  To  make  bot 
tle-glass,  oxide  of  iron  and  alumina  is 
added  to  the  silica,  lime,  and  soda. 
It  seems  scarcely  possible  that  these 
few  common  substances  melted  over 
the  fire  and  blown  with  the  breath  can 
.be  formed  into  a  material  as  thin  and 
gossamer,  almost,  as  a  spider's  web, 
and  made  to  assume  such  a  graceful 
shape  as  this  jug. 

This  is  how  glass  bottles,  vases, 
etc.,  are  made.  When  the  substances 
mentioned  above  are  melted  together 
properly,  a  man  dips  a  long,  hollow 
iron  tube  into  a  pot  filled  with  the 
boiling  liquid  glass,  and  takes  up  a 
little  on  the  end  of  it.  This  he  passes 
quickly  to  another  man,  who  dips  it 
once  more,  and,  having  twirled  the 
tube  around  so  as  to  lengthen  the 
glass  ball  at  the  end,  gives  it  to  a  third  man,  who  places  this  glass 
ball  in  an  earthen  mould,  and  blows  into  the  other  end  of  the  tube, 


332 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


and  soon  the  shapeless  mass  of  glass  becomes  a  bottle.  But  it  is 
not  quite  finished,  for  the  bottom  has  to  be  completed,  and  the  neck 
to  have  the  glass  band  put  around  it.  The  bottom  is  finished  by 
pressing  it  with  a  cone-shaped  instrument  as  soon  as  it  comes  out  of 
the  mould.  A  thick  glass  thread  is  wound  around  the  neck.  And, 
if  a  name  is  to  be  put  on,  fresh  glass  is  added  to  the  side,  and 
stamped  with  a  seal. 


This  is  also  the  process  of  making  the  beautiful  jug  just  mentioned, 
except  that  three  workmen  are  engaged  at  the  same  time  on  the  three 
parts — one  blows  the  vase  itself,  another  the  foot,  and  the  third  the 
handle.  They  are  then  fastened  together,  and  the  top  cut  into  the 
desired  shape  with  shears,  for  glass  can  be  easily  cut  when  in  a  soft 
state. 

You  see  how  clearly  and  brightly,  and  yet  with  what  softness,  the 
windows  of  the  room  are  reflected  in  that  exquisite  jug.  It  was 
made  only  a  few  years  ago. 

I  will  now  show  you  an  old  Venetian  goblet,  but  you  will  have  to 
handle  it  very  carefully,  or  you  will  certainly  break  off  one  of  the  deli 
cate  leaves,  or  snap  the  stem  of  that  curious  flower. 


ABOUT  GLASS. 


333 


Such  glasses  as  these  were  certainly  never  intended  for  use.    They 
were  probably  put  upon  the  table  as  ornaments.     The  bowl  is  a  white 


glass  cup,  with  wavy  lines  of  light  blue.  The  spiral  stem  is  red  and 
white,  and  has  projecting  from  it  five  leaves  of  yellow  glass,  separated 
in  the  middle  by  another  leaf  of  a  deep  blue  color.  The  large  flower 
has  six  pale-blue  petals. 

And  now  we  will  look  at  some  goblets  intended  for  use.     They  are 


334 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


of  modern  manufacture,  and  are  plain  and  simple,  but  have  a  beauty 
of  their  own.  The  right-hand  one  is  of  a  very  graceful  shape,  and 
the  one  in  the  .middle  is  odd-looking,  and  ingeniously  made  with 
rollers,  and  all  of  them  have  a  transparent  clearness,  and  are  almost 
as  thin  as  the  fragile  soap-bubbles  that  children  blow  out  of  pipe-bowls. 


They  do  not  look  unlike  these,  and  one  can  easily  fancy  that,  like 
them,  they  will  melt  into  air  at  a  touch. 

Because  the  ancients  by  some  means  discovered  that  the  union  of 
silica,  lime,  and  soda  made  a  perfectly  transparent  and  hard  substance, 
it  by  no  means  follows  that  they  knew  how  to  make  looking-glasses. 


ABOUT  GLASS,  335 


For  this  requires  something  behind  the  glass  to  throw  back  the  image. 
But  vanity  is  not  of  modern  invention,  and  people  having  from  the 
beginning  of  time  had  a  desire  to  look  at  themselves,  they  were  not 
slow  in  providing  the  means. 

The  first  mirrors  used  were  of  polished  metal,  and  for  ages  nobody 
knew  of  anything  better.  But  there  came  a  time  when  the  idea  en 
tered  the  mind  of  man  that  "  glass  lined  with  a  sheet  of  metal  will 
give  back  the  image  presented  to  it,"  for  these  are  the  exact  words 
of  a  writer  who  lived  four  centuries  before  Christ.  And  you  may 
be  sure  that  glass-makers  took  advantage  of  this  suggestion,  if  they 
had  not  already  found  out  the  fact  for  themselves.  So  we  know  that 
the  ancients  did  make  glass  mirrors.  It  is  matter  of  history  that 
looking-glasses  were  made  in  the  first  century  of  the  Christian  era, 
but  whether  quicksilver  was  poured  upon  the  back,  as  it  is  now,  or 
whether  some  other  metal  was  used,  we  do  not  know. 

But  these  mirrors  disappeared  with  the  bottles  and  other  glass 
articles  ;  and  metal  mirrors  again  became  the  fashion.  For  fourteen 
hundred  years  we  hear  nothing  of  looking-glasses,  and  then  we  find 
them  in  Venice,  at  the  time  that  city  had  the  monopoly  of  the  glass 
trade.  Metal  mirrors  were  soon  thrown  aside,  for  the  images  in  them 
were  very  imperfect  compared  with  the  others. 

These  Venetian  glasses  were  all  small,  because  at  that  time  sheet 
glass  was  blown  by  the  mouth  of  man,  like  bottles,  vases,  etc.,  and 
therefore  it  was  impossible  to  make  them  large.  Two  hundred  years 
afterward,  a  Frenchman  discovered  a  method  of  making  sheet  glass 
by  machinery,  which  is  called  founding,  and  by  this  process  it  can  be 
made  of  any  size. 

But  even  after  the  comparatively  cheap  process  of  founding  came 
into  use,  looking-glasses  were  very  expensive,  and  happy  was  the 
rich  family  that  possessed  one.  A  French  countess  sold  a  farm  to 


336 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


buy  a  mirror !  Queens  had  theirs  ornamented  .in  the  most  costly 
manner.  Here  is  a  picture  of  one  that  belonged  to  a  queen  of 
France,  the  frame  of  which  is  entirely  composed  of  precious  stones. 


I  have  told  you  how  the  Venetians  kept  glass-making  a  secret,  and 
how,  at  last,  the  Germans  learned  it,  and  then  the  French,  and  their 


ABOUT  GLASS.  337 


work  came  to  be  better  liked  than  that  of  the  Venetians.  But  these 
last  still  managed  to  keep  the  process  of  making  mirrors  a  profound 
secret,  and  the  French  were  determined  to  get  at  the  mystery.  Sev 
eral  young  glass-makers  went  from  France  to  Venice,  and  applied  to 
all  the  looking-glass  makers  of  Venice  for  situations  as  workmen,  that 
they  might  learn  the  art.  But  all  positively  refused  to  receive  them, 
and  kept  their  doors  and  windows  tightly  closed  while  they  were  at 
work,  that  no  one  might  see  what  they  did.  The  young  Frenchmen 
took  advantage  of  this,  and  climbed  up  on  the  roofs,  and  cautiously 
made  holes  through  which  they  could  look ;  and  thus  they  learned 
the  carefully-kept  secret,  and  went  back  to  France  and  commenced 
the  manufacture  of  glass  mirrors.  Twenty  years  after,  a  Frenchman 
invented  founding  glass,  which  gave  France  such  a  great  advantage 
that  the  trade  of  Venice  in  looking-glasses  was  ruined. 

You  would  be  very  much  interested  in  watching  this  process  of 
founding  glass.  This  is  the  way  it  is  done.  As  soon  as  the  glass  is 
melted  to  the  proper  consistency,  the  furnaces  are  opened,  and  the 
pots  are  lifted  into  the  air  by  machinery,  and  passed  along  a  beam  to 
an  immense  table  of  cast  iron.  A  signal  is  given,  and  the  brilliant, 
transparent  liquid  glass  falls  out  and  spreads  over  the  table.  At  a 
second  signal  a  roller  is  passed  by  machinery  over  the  red-hot  glass, 
and  twenty  men  stand  ready  with  long  shovels  to  push  the  sheet  of 
glass  into  an  oven,  not  very  hot.  where  it  can  slowly  cool.  When 
taken  out  of  the  oven  the  glass  is  thick,  and  not  perfectly  smooth, 
and  it  has  to  be  rubbed  with  sand,  imbedded  in  plaster  of  Paris, 
smoothed  with  emery,  and  polished  by  rubbing  it  with  a  woollen  cloth 
covered  with  red  oxide  of  iron,  all  of  which  is  done  by  machinery. 

We  know  that  cut  glass  is  expensive,  and  the  reason  is  that  cutting 
it  is  a  slow  process.  Four  wheels  have  to  be  used  in  succession, 
iron,  sandstone,  wood,  and  cork.  Sand  is  thrown  upon  these  wheels 

22 


338 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


in  such  a  way  that  the  glass  is  finely  and  delicately  cut.  But  this  is 
imitated  in  pressed  glass,  which  is  blown  in  a  mould  inside  of  which 
the  design  is  cut.  This  is  much  cheaper  than  the  cut  glass. 

A  higher  art  than 
cutting  is  engraving  on 
glass,  by  which  the  fig 
ures  are  brought  out 
in  relief.  Distinguished 
artists  are  employed  to 
draw  the  designs,  and 
then  skilful  engravers 
follow  the  lines  with 
their  delicate  tools.  If 
you  will  examine  care 
fully  the  engraving  on 


this  Bohemian  goblet, 
you  will  see  what  a  won 
derful  piece  of  work 
manship  it  is. 

It  seems  almost  a  pity 
that  so  much  time  and 
labor,  skill  and  genius 
should  be  given  to  a 
thing  so  easily  broken. 
And  yet  we  have  seen 
that  a  good  many  glass 
articles  have  been  pre 
served  for  centuries. 
The  engraving  on  the 
Bohemian  goblet  is  in- 


ABOUT  GLASS. 


339 


genious,  and  curious,  and  faithful  in  detail,  but  the  flowers  on  this 
modern  French  flagon  are  really  more  graceful  and  beautiful. 


About  four  hundred  years  ago  there  was  found  in  a  marble  coffin, 
in  a  tomb  near  Rome,  a  glass  vase  which  is  now  famous  throughout 
the  world.  There  is  good  reason  for  supposing  it  to  have  been  made 
one  hundred  and  thirty-eight  years  before  Christ,  consequently  it  is 
now  about  two  thousand  years  old.  For  many  years  this  was  in  the 
Barberini  palace  in  Rome,  and  was  called  the  Barberini  Vase.  Then 
it  was  bought  by  the  Duchess  of  Portland,  of  England,  for  nine  thou 
sand  dollars,  and  since  then  has  been  known  as  the  Portland  Vase. 


34° 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


She  loaned  it  to  the   British   Museum,  and  everybody  who  went  to 

London  wanted  to  see  this  celebrated  vase. 

One  day  a  crazy  man  got  into  the  Museum,  and  with  a  smart  blow 
i  of  his  cane  laid  in  ruins 

the  glass  vase  that  had 
survived  all  the  world's 
great  convulsions  and 
changes  for  two  thou 
sand  years !  This  mis 
fortune  was  supposed 
to  be  irreparable,  but  it 
has  been  repaired  by 
an  artist  so  cleverly  that 
it  is  impossible  to  tell 
where  it  is  joined  to 
gether. 

This  vase  is  com 
posed  of  two  layers  of 
glass,  one  over  the 
other.  The  lower  is  of 
a  deep  blue  color,  and 
the  upper  an  opaque 
white,  so  that  the  fig 
ures  stand  out  in  white 
on  a  deep  blue  back 
ground. 

The  picture  on  it  rep 
resents  the  marriage  of 
Peleus  and  Thetis.  The 
woman  seated,  holding 


ABOUT  GLASS.  341 


a  serpent  in  her  left  hand,  is  Thetis,  and  the  man  to  whom  she  is 
giving  her  right  hand  is  Peleus.  The  god  in  front  of  Thetis  is  Nep 
tune,  and  a  Cupid  hovers  in  the  air  above.  On  the  reverse  side 
are  Thetis  and  Peleus,  and  a  goddess,  all  seated.  At  the  foot  of  the 
vase  is  a  bust  of  Ganymede,  and  on  each  side  of  this  in  the  picture 
are  copies  of  the  masks  on  the  handles. 

Now  I  have  shown  you  a  few  of  the  beautiful  things  that  have  been 
made  of  glass,  but  there  are  very  many  other  uses  to  which  glass  is 
applied  that  have  not  even  been  alluded  to.  Steam  engines,  that 
work  like  real  ones,  have  been  made  of  glass ;  palaces  have  been 
built  of  it;  great  telescopes,  by  which  the  wonders  of  the  heavens 
have  been  revealed,  owe  their  power  to  it ;  and,  in  fact,  it  would  seem  to 
us,  to-day,  as  if  we  could  as  well  do  without  our  iron  as  without  our 
glass. 


342  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


CARL. 

IN  the  middle  of  a  dark  and  gloomy  forest  lived  Carl  and  Greta. 
Their  father  was  a  forester,  who,  when  he  was  well,  was  accustomed 
to  be  away  all  day  with  his  gun  and  dogs,  leaving  the  two  children 
with  no  one  but  old  Nurse  Heine ;  for  their  mother  died  when  they 
were  very  little.  Now  Carl  was  twelve  years  old,  and  Greta  nine. 
Carl  was  a  fine-looking  boy,  but  Nurse  Heine  said  that  he  had  a 
melancholy  countenance.  Greta,  however,  was  a  pretty,  bright-faced, 
merry  little  girl.  They  were  allowed  to  wander  through  a  certain  part 
of  the  forest,  where  their  father  thought  there  was  no  especial  danger 
to  fear. 

In  truth,  Carl  was  not  melancholy  at  all,  but  was  just  as  happy  in 
his  way  as  Greta  was  in  hers.  In  the  summer,  while  she  was  pulling 
the  wood  flowers  and  weaving  them  into  garlands,  or  playing  with 
her  dogs,  or  chasing  squirrels,  Carl  would  be  seated  on  some  root  or 
stone  with  a  large  sheet  of  coarse  card-board  on  his  knee,  on  which 
he  drew  pictures  with  a  piece  of  sharpened  charcoal.  He  had  sketched, 
in  his  rough  way,  every  pretty  mass  of  foliage,  and  every  picturesque 
rock  and  waterfall  within  his  range.  And  in  the  winter,  when  the 
icicles  were  hanging  from  the  cliffs,  and  the  snow  wound  white  arms 
around  the  dark  green  cypress  boughs,  Carl  still  found  beautiful  pic 
tures  everywhere,  and  Greta  plenty  of  play  in  building  snow-houses 
and  statues.  And,  moreover,  Carl  had  lately  discovered  in  the  brooks 
some  colored  stones,  which  were  soft  enough  to  sharpen  sufficiently 
to  give  a  blue  tint  to  his  skies,  and  green  to  his  trees ;  and  thus  he 
made  pictures  that  Nurse  Heine  said  were  more  wonderful  than  those 
in  the  chapel  of  the  little  village  of  Evergode. 

I  have  said  that  the  forest  was  dark  and  gloomy,  because  it  was 


CARL.  343 

composed  chiefly  of  pines  and  cypresses,  but  it  never  seemed  so  to 
the  children.  They  knew  how  to  read,  but  had  no  books  that  told 
them  of  any  lands  brighter  and  sunnier  than  their  own.  And  then, 
too,  beyond  the  belt  of  pines  in  which  was  their  home,  there  was  a 
long  stretch  of  forest  of  oaks  and  beeches,  and  in  this  the  birds  liked 
to  build  their  nests  and  sing;  and  there  were  such  spbendid  vines,  and 
lovely  flowers!  And,  right  through  the  pine  forest,  not  more  than 
half  a  mile  from  their  cottage,  there  was  a  broad  road.  It  is  true, 
it  was  a  very  rough  one,  and  but  little  used,  but  it  represented  the 
world  to  Carl  and  Greta.  For  it  did  sometimes  happen  that  loaded 
wagons  would  jolt  over  it,  or  a  rough  soldier  gallop  along,  and  more 
rarely  still,  a  gay  cavalier  would  prance  by  the  wondering  children. 

For  there  was  a  war  in  the  land.  And  when,  after  a  time,  the  armies 
came  near  enough  to  the  forest  for  the  children  to  hear  occasionally 
the  roll  of  the  heavy  guns,  a  strange  thing  happened. 

One  evening  when  they  arrived  at  home,  they  found  in  their  hum 
ble  little  cottage  one  of  the  gay-looking  cavaliers  they  had  sometimes 
seen  on  the  forest  road,  and  with  him  was  a  very  beautiful  lady.  Old 
Nurse  Heine  was  getting  the  spare  room  ready  by  beating,  up  the 
great  feather  bed,  and  laying  down  on  the  floor  the  few  strips  of  car 
pet  they  possessed.  Their  father  was  talking  with  the  strangers,  and 
he  told  them  that  Carl  and  Greta  were  his  children ;  but  they  took  no 
notice  of  them,  for  they  were  completely  taken  up  with  each  other, 
for  the  gentleman,  it  appeared,  was  going  away,  and  to  leave  the  lady 
there.  Carl  greatly  admired  this  cavalier,  and  had  no  doubt  he  was 
the  noblest-looking  man  in  the  world,  and  studied  him  so  closely  that 
he  would  have  known  him  among  a  thousand.  Presently  the  forester 
led  his  children  out  of  the  cottage,  and  soon  after  the  cavalier  came 
out,  and  springing  upon  his  horse,  galloped  away  among  the  dark 
pines. 


344 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


The  strange  lady  was  at  the  cottage  several  weeks,  and  the  chil 
dren  soon  learned  to  love  her  dearly.  She  was  fond  of  rambling 
about  with  them,  and  was  seldom  to  be  found  within  the  house  when 


the  weather  was  fair.      She  never  went  near  the  road,  but  preferred 
the  oak  wood,  and  sometimes  when  the  children  were  amusing  them- 


CARL.  345 

selves  she  would  sit  for  hours  absorbed  in  deep  thought  or  singing  to 
herself  in  a  sad  and  dreamy  way. 

At  other  times  she  would  interest  herself  in  the  children,  and  tell 
them  of  things  in  the  world  outside  the  forest.  She  praised  Carl's 
pictures,  and  showed  him  how  to  work  in  his  colors  so  as  to  more 
effectively  bring  out  the  perspective,  and  tried  to  educate  his  taste, 
as  far  as  she  could,  by  describing  the  pictures  of  the  great  masters. 
She  often  said  afterwards  that  she  could  never  have  lived  through 
those  dark  days  but  for  the  comfort  she  found  in  the  children. 

Carl  saw  that  she  was  sorrowful,  and  he  understood  that  her  sad 
ness  was  not  because  of  the  plain  fare  and  the  way  of  living  at  the 
forester's  cottage,  which  he  knew  must  seem  rough  indeed  to  her,  but 
because  of  some  great  grief.  What  this  grief  was  he  could  not  guess, 
for  the  children  had  been  told  nothing  about  the  beautiful  lady,  except 
that  her  name  was  Lady  Clarice.  She  never  complained,  but  the 
boy's  wistful  eyes  would  follow  her  as  she  moved  among  the  trees, 
and  his  heart  would  swell  with  pity ;  and  how  he  would  long  to  do 
something  to  prove  to  her  how  he  loved  her! 

The  forester  told  Carl  that  the  cavalier  was  with  the  army.  But  he 
did  not  come  to  the  cottage,  and  there  was  no  way  for  the  Lady 
Clarice  to  hear  from  him,  and  she  shuddered  at  the  sound  of  the  great 
guns.  And  finally  she  fell  sick.  Nurse  Heine  did  what  she  could  for 
her,  but  the  lady  grew  worse.  She  felt  that  she  should  die,  and  it 
almost  broke  Carl's  heart  to  hear  her  moaning:  "  Oh  !  if  I  could  but 
see  him  once  more  ! "  He  knew  she  meant  the  noble  cavalier,  but 
how  should  he  get  word  to  him  ?  The  old  forester  was  just  then  stiff 
with  rheumatism,  and  could  scarcely  move  from  his  chair. 

"  I  will  go  myself!  "  said  Carl  to  himself  one  day,  "  or  she  will  die 
with  grief ! " 

Without  saying  a  word  to  anybody  about  the  matter,  for  fear  that 


346  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

he  would  not  be  allowed  to  go,  he  stole  out  of  the  house  in  the  gray 
of  the  morning,  while  all  were  asleep,  and,  making  his  way  to  the 
open  road,  he  turned  in  the  direction  from  whence,  at  times,  had  come 
the  sound  of  the  cannon.  As  long  as  he  was  in  the  part  of  the  road 
that  he  knew,  he  kept  up  a  stout  heart,  but  when  he  left  that  he 
began  to  grow  frightened.  The  road  was  so  lonely,  and  strange 
sounds  seemed  to  come  out  of  the  forest  that  stretched  away,  so  black 
and  thick,  on  each  side  !  He  wondered  if  any  fierce  beasts  were 
there,  or  if  robbers  were  lurking  behind  the  rocks.  But  he  thought 
of  the  beautiful  lady,  his  kind  friend,  sick  and  dying,  and  that  thought 
was  more  powerful  than  his  fear.  At  noon  he  rested  for  awhile,  and 
ate  a  few  dry  biscuits  he  had  put  in  his  pockets. 

It  was  near  sunset  when  he  saw  that  the  trees  stood  less  closely 
together,  the  road  looked  more  travel-worn,  and  there  came  with  the 
wind  a  confused  and  continuous  noise.  Then  Carl  was  seized  with 
terror.  "  I  am  now  near  the  camp,"  he  thought.  "  Suppose  a  battle 
is  going  on,  and  I  am  struck  with  a  ball.  I  shall  die,  and  father  and 
little  Greta  will  not  know  what  became  of  me,  and  the  beautiful  lady 
will  never  know  that  I  died  in  her  service  !  Or  if  I  meet  a  soldier, 
and  he  don't  believe  my  story,  maybe  he'll  run  a  bayonet  through 
me!" 

It  was  not  too  late  then  to  turn  back  and  flee  swiftly  up  the  forest 
road,  and  Carl  paused. 

But  in  a  few  moments  he  went  on,  animated  by  the  noblest  kind  of 
courage — that  which  feels  there  is  danger,  but  is  determined  to  face 
it  in  the  cause  of  duty,  affection,  and  humanity. 

At  last  he  stepped  out  of  the  forest,  and  there,  before  him,  was 
spread  out  the  vast  encampment  of  the  army  !  There  was  not  time 
to  wonder  at  the  sight  before  he  was  challenged  by  a  sentinel.  Carl 
had  made  up  his  mind  what  to  say,  and  that  he  would  not  mention 


CARL.  347 

the  lady.  So  he  promptly  replied  that  he  wanted  to  see  a  noble  lord 
who  had  a  sick  friend  at  a  cottage  in  the  forest. 

As  the  boy  could  not  tell  the  name  or  rank  of  the  noble  lord,  the 
sentinel  sent  him  to  an  officer,  and  to  him  Carl  told  the  same  story ; 
but  he  described  the  man  of  whom  he  was  in  search  so  accurately 
that  the  officer  sent  him  at  once  to  the  proper  person.  And  Carl 
found  that  he  was  a  very  great  personage  indeed,  and  held  a  high 
command  in  the  army.  He  did  not  recognize  Carl,  but  as  soon  as 
the  boy  told  his  errand  he  became  very  much  agitated. 

"I  will  go  at  once,"  he  said;  "but  I  cannot  leave  you  here,  my 
brave  boy  !  Can  you  ride  ?  " 

Now  Carl  knew  how  to  sit  on  a  horse,  and  how  to  hold  the  bridle, 
for  he  had  ridden  the  wood-cutters'  horses  sometimes,  so  he  answered 
that  he  thought  he  could  ride.  The  Duke  (for  such  was  his  title) 
ordered  some  refreshments  set  before  the  boy,  and  then  went  out  to 
make  his  arrangements,  choosing  his  gentlest  horse  for  Carl. 

In  half  an  hour  they  were  in  the  forest,  speeding  like  the  wind. 
Carl  felt  as  if  he  was  flying.  The  horse  chose  his  own  gait,  and 
tried  to  keep  up  with  the  one  that  the  Duke  was  riding;  but  finally, 
finding  this  impossible,  he  slackened  his  pace,  greatly  to  Carl's  relief. 
But  the  Duke  was  too  anxious  about  his  lady  to  accommodate  him 
self  to  the  slower  speed  of  the  boy,  and  soon  swept  out  of  sight 
around  a  bend  in  the  road.  His  cloak  and  the  long  feathers  of  his 
hat  streamed  on  the  night  wind  for  a  moment  longer.  Then  they 
vanished,  and  Carl  was  alone. 

Carl  was  somewhat  afraid  of  the  horse,  for  he  was  not  used  to 
such  a  high-mettled  steed ;  but,  on  the  whole,  he  was  glad  he  was 
mounted  on  it.  For  if  the  woods  had  seemed  lonely  in  the  daylight 
they  were  ten  times  more  so  in  the  night.  And  the  noises  seemed 
more  fearful  than  before.  And  Carl  thought  if  any  furious  beast  or 


343 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


robber  should  dart  upon  him,  he  could  make  the  horse  carry  him 
swiftly  away.  As  it  was  he  let  the  horse  do  as  he  pleased,  and  as 
Carl  sat  quietly  and  did  not  worry  him  in  any  way,  he  pleased  to  go 


CARL. 


349 


along-  very  smoothly,  and  rather  slowly,  so  it  was  past  midnight  when 
they  reached  home. 

Carl  found  that  the  Duke  had  been  there  a  long  time  ;  that  the  lady 
was  overjoyed  to  see  him,  and  Nurse  Heine  said  she  began  to  grow 
better  from  that  moment. 

The  next  morning  the  Duke  went  away;  but  before  he  left  he 
thanked  Carl  for  the  great  service  he  had  done  him,  and  gave  him  a 
piece  of  gold.  But  Carl  was  better  pleased  when  the  lady  called  him 
into  her  room,  and  kissed  him,  and  cried  over  him,  and  praised  him 
for  a  kind,  brave  boy,  and  said  he  had  saved  her  life. 

And  when  she  got  well  Carl  noticed  that  she  was  Brighter  and 
happier  than  she  had  been  before.  : . 

In  a  short  time,  however,  she  went  away  with  the  Duke,  in  a  grand 
coach,  with  servants  and  outriders.  And  Carl  and  Greta  watched 
them  as  they  were  whirled  up  the  forest  road,  and  then  walked  home 
through  the  pines  with  sad  hearts. 

Then  the  forester  told  his  children  that  the  Duke  had  married  this 
lady  secretly,  against  the  king's  command,  and  he  had  so  many  bitter 
and  cruel  enemies  that  he  was  afraid  they  would  do  her  some  evil 
while  he  was  away  in  the  war.  She  knew  of  the  forester,  because  his 
wife  had  been  a  maid  of  her  mother's,  so  she  came  to  this  lonely  place 
for  safety.  But  now  the  king  was  pleased,  and  it  was  all  right. 

The  winter  came  and  went.  The  war  was  over.  And  then  Lady 
Clarice,  whom  the  children  never  expected  to  see  again,  sent  for  them, 
and  the  forester,  and  Nurse  Heine,  to  her  castle.  She  provided  for 
them  all,  and  Greta  grew  up  into  a  pretty  and  well-bred  young  lady. 

Lady  Clarice  had  not  forgotten  the  brave  act  of  the  boy,  and  also 
remembered  what  he  liked  best  in  the  world.  So  she  had  him  taught 
to  draw  and  paint,  and  in  process  of  time  he  became  a  great  artist, 
and  all  the  world  knew  of  his  name  and  fame. 


350 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


SCHOOL'S    OUT! 


WHAT  a  welcome  and  joyful  sound  ! 


In  the  winter,  when  the  days 
are  short,  and  the 
sun,  near  the  end 
of  the  six  school 
hours,  sinks  so 
low  that  the  light 
in  the  room  grows 
dim  and  gray,  with 
what  impatience, 
my  dear  child,  do 
you  wait  for  this 
signal !  But  it  is 
in  the  long  sum 
mer  days  that  you 
find  school  most 
tiresome.  The  air 
in  the  room  is  hot 
and  drowsy,  and 
outside  you  can 
see  there  is  a 
breeze  blowing, 
for  the  trees  are 
gently  tossing 
their  gr e en 
boughs  as  if  to 
twit  you  with  hav- 
to  work  out 


SCHOOLS  OUT.  351 


sums  in  such  glorious  weather.  And.  there  come  to  your  ears  the 
pleasant  sounds  of  the  buzzing  of  insects  and  twittering  o£  birds, 
and  the  brook  splashing  over  the  stones.  Then  the  four  walls  of  the 
school-room  look  very  dreary,  and  the  maps  glare  at  you,  and  the 
black-boards  frown  darkly,  and  the  benches  seem  very  hard,  and  the 
ink-bespattered  desks  appear  more  grimy  than  ever. 

This  was  the  time  when  the  heart  of  the  Dominie  would  be  touched 
with  pity,  and  he  would  say  in  his  bright  way  :  "  Now,  children,  I  am 
going  to  read  you  something  !  " 

Instantly  the  half-closed  eyes  would  open,  the  drooping  heads 
would  be  raised,  the  vacant  faces  would  brighten,  and  the  little 
cramped  legs  would  be  stretched  out  with  a  sigh  of  relief.  And 
then  the  Dominie  would  read  them  something  that  was  not  only 
instructive,  but  very  entertaining.  Sometimes,  instead  of  reading 
to  them,  he  would  set  them  to  declaiming  or  reciting  poetry,  or 
they  would  choose  sides  and  have  a  spelling  match.  They  would 
get  so  interested  that  they  would  forget  all  about  the  birds  and 
sunshine  without.  They  did  not  even  know  that  they  were  learning 
all  this  time. 

For  the  Dominie  had  all  sorts  of  pleasant  ways  of  teaching  his 
scholars.  Not  but  what  they  had  to  work  hard  too,  for  nobody  can 
accomplish  anything  worth  having  without  putting  a  good  deal  of 
hard  work  in  it. 

You  see  the  Dominie's  portrait  in  the  picture.  The  fringe  of  hair 
around  his  bald  head  was  as  white  as  snow ;  his  black  eyes  were 
bright  and  merry  ;  and  he  had  a  kindly  face.  .  His  name  was  Morris 
Harvey,  but  everybody  called  him  Dominie,  and  he  liked  that  name 
best.  All  the  village  people  respected  and  loved  the  old  man  ;  and 
every  child  in  the  village  school  that  he  taught,  from  the  largest 
boy,  whose  legs  were  so  long  that  he  did  not  know  what  to  do  with 


352  RO UNDAB O UT  RAMBLES. 

them,  down  to  Bessie  Gay,  who  could  scarcely  reach  up  to  the  top 
of  a  desk,  were  very  fond  indeed  of  him. 

But  even  under  the  Dominie's  kindly  rule,  "  School's  out !  "  was 
always  a  welcome  sound.  What  a  noise  there  would  be  in  the  school 
room  for  a  minute ;  and  then  such  a  grand  rush  out  into  the  open 
air !  and  such  merry  shouts  !  The  Dominie  would  look  after  them 
with  a  smile.  He  wanted  them  to  study,  but  he  was  glad  that  it  was 
natural  for  them  to  love  to  play. 

If  little  Charlie  Lane  had  known  this  he  would  not  have  had  such 
a  cry  the  morning  he  went  to  school  for  the  first  time.  He  thought 
his  mother  very  cruel  to  make  him  go,  and,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  not 
only  cried  before  he  started,  but  all  the  way  to  the  school-house.  The 
Dominie  took  no  notice  of  this,  and  Charlie  soon  found  that  school 
was  not  such  a  very  dreadful  place.  And  there  was  the  nice  play 
time  in  the  middle  of  the  day.  And,  when  school  was  out,  the  Dom 
inie  took  him  on  his  knee  and  gave  him  a  big  apple,  and  showed  him 
a  book  full  of  bright  pictures,  and  told  him  a  story  about  every  one 
of  them. 

You  can  see  the  little  fellow  on  the  Dominie's  lap,  looking  earnestly 
at  a  picture  in  the  book  ;  and  the  old  man  is  pleased  that  the  child  is 
pleased.  The  Dominie  is  sitting  in  his  big  chair,  and  his  dinner-bag 
is  hanging  on  the  back  of  it.  On  the  black-board  over  his  head  you 
see  little  Charlie's  lesson  for  that  day.  It  is  on  the  right,  and  consists 
of  the  letters  A,  B,  C,  which  the  child  has  been  staring  at  until  he 
knows  them  perfectly  in  any  book  that  is  given  to  him.  On  the  left, 
is  a  sum ;  and  somebody  has  tried  to  draw  an  almanac  sun  on  the 
lower  part  of  the  board.  Across  the  top  the  Dominie  has  written  a. 
copy.  You  can  read  it  plainly.  It  was  a  favorite  saying  of  his  ;  and 
a  very  good  one  too. 

Have  we  not,  all  of  us,  a  great  deal  to  make  us  happy  ?     What 


SCHOOL'S  OUT.  353 


pleasure  is  it  to  you  to  go  about  with  a  cross  or  melancholy  face? 
Try  to  think  of  something  pleasant,  and  call  up  a  smile.  Put  the  ill- 
natured  feelings  out  of  your  heart,  and  then  the  brightness  will  come 
to  your  face  without  further  trouble.  If  you  have  a  hard  task  to  do, 
being  cross -won't  help  you  along  one  bit.  Go  to  work  at  it  with  a  will, 
and  you  will  be  surprised  to  find  how  soon  it  will  be  done.  Then, 
with  a  clear  conscience  and  a  glad  heart,  you  can  sit  waiting  for  the 
welcome  sound,  "  School's  out !  " 

23 


354  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


NEST-BUILDERS. 

"  BIRDS  in  their  little  nests  agree,"  but  they  do  not  at  all  agree  in 
their  manner  of  building  the  said  nests. 

They  have  all  sorts  of  ideas  on  this  subject.  Nearly  every  species 
of  bird  has  a  nest  peculiar  to  itself,  and  the  variety  is  astonishing. 
There  are  nests  like  cups,  and  nests  like  saucers ;  nests  which  are 
firmly  fixed  among  the  solid  rocks,  and  nests  which  wave  about  on  the 
ends  of  slender  branches ;  nests  which  are  perched  on  the  very  tops 
of  the  tallest  trees,  and  nests  which  are  hidden  in  the  ground.  There 
are  great  nests,  which  will  hold  a  bushel  or  two  of  eggs,  and  little 
bits  of  things,  into  which  you  could  scarcely  put  half  a  dozen  peas. 

In  mentioning  some  of  these  nests,  it  will  be  needless  for  us  to  say 
much  of  those  with  which  we  are  all  familiar.  In  our  rambles  to 
gether  we  must  try  and  see  as  many  novelties  as  possible,  for  we  may 
not  always  have  the  chance  of  wandering  freely  into  any  part  of  the 
world  to  which  our  fancy  may  lead  us.  I  remember  a  little  girl  who 
used  to  come  to  our  house  when  I  was  a  boy,  and  who  never  cared 
for  anything  at  table  that  was  not  something  of  a  novelty  to  her. 
When  offered  potatoes,  she  would  frankly  say:  "No,  thank  you;  I 
can  get  them  at  home." 

So  we  will  not  meddle  with  hens'  nests,  robins'  nests,  and  all  the 
nests,  big  and  little,  that  we  find  about  our  homes,  for  they  are  the 
"  potatoes  "  of  a  subject  like  this,  but  will  try  and  find  some  nests  that 
are  a  little  out  of  the  way,  and  curious. 

But  we  must  stop — just  one  moment — before  we  leave  home,  and 
look  at  a  wren's  nest. 

The  Wren,  although  a  very  common  little  bird  with  us,  does  not 
build  a  common  nest.  She  makes  it  round,  like  a  ball,  or  a  woolly 


NEST-B  UILDERS. 


355 


orange,  with  a  little 
hole  at  one  side  for  a 
door.  Inside,  it  is 
just  as  soft  and  com 
fortable  as  anything 
can  be.  Being  such 
a  little  bird  herself, 
she  could  not  cover 
and  protect  her  young 
ones  from  cold  and 
danger  so  well  as  the 
larger  cat-birds  and 
robins,  and  her  nest 
is  contrived  so  that 
there  will  not  be 
much  covering  to  do. 
That  beautiful  bird, 
the  Baltimore  Oriole, 
which  may  be  familiar 
to  some  of  you,  makes 
its  nest  somewhat  on 
the  plan  of  the  wren, 
the  similarity  consist 
ing  in  the  fact  that 
the  structure  is  in 
tended  to  shelter  both 
parent  and  young. 
The  oriole,  which  is  a 

great  deal  larger  than  a  wren,  builds' a  much  larger  nest,  forming  it  like 
a  bag,  with  a  hole  in  one  end,  and  hangs  it  on  the  branch  of  a  tree. 


356 


R  O  UNDABO  UT  RAMBLES. 


It  is  scarcely  possible  for  any  harm  to  come  to  the  young  orioles, 
when  they  are  lying  snugly  at  the  bottom  of  the  deep  nest  and  their 

mother  is  sitting  on 
a  twig  near  by,  ready 
to  protect  them  at 
the  hazard  of  her  life. 
But,  for  all  the  ap 
parent  security  of  this 
nest,  so  deep,  so 
warm,  so  firmly  se 
cured  .to  the  twigs 
and  branches,  the  lit 
tle  orioles  are  not 
entirely  safe.  Their 
mother  may  protect 
them  from  rain  and 
cold ;  from  winged 
enemies  and  creep 
ing  serpents,  but  she 
cannot  defend  them 
against  the  attacks  of 
boys  and  men.  An 
oriole's  nest  is  such 
a  curious  structure, 
and  the  birds  are 
known  to  be  of  such 
fine  form  and  gor 
geous  plumage,  that 
many  boys  cannot 
resist  the  temptation 


NEST-BUILDERS.  357 


of  climbing  up  after  them  and,  if  there  are  young  ones  within,  of  car 
rying  the  whole  affair  away  in  order  to  try  and  "  raise  "  the  young  birds. 
Sometimes  the  nest  is  put  in  a  cage,  where  the  old  bird  can  come  and 
feed  its  young,  and  in  other  cases  the  captor  undertakes  to  do  the 
feeding  himself.  I  have  seen  experiments  of  this  kind  tried,  but  never 
knew  the  slightest  success  to  follow  them,  and  the  attempt,  generally 
useless,  is  always  cruel. 

But  we  must  positively  get  away  from  home  and  look  at  some  nests 
to  which  few  or  none  of  us  are  accustomed. 

There,  for  instance,  is  the  nest  of  the  Burrowing-Owl,  a  native  of 
South  America  and  the  regions  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  This 
little  bird,  much  smaller  than  our  common  owls,  likes  to  live  in  the 
ground.  But  not  having  been  provided  by  nature  with  digging  ap 
pendages,  he  cannot  make  a  hole  or  burrow  for  himself,  and  so  he 
takes  up  his  abode  in  the  underground  holes  made  by  the  little  prairie- 
dogs  for  their  own  homes.  It  is  not  at  all  certain  that  these  owls 
should  be  called  usurpers  or  thieves.  They  may,  in  some  cases,  get 
entire  possession  of  the  holes,  but  very  often  they  live  very  sociably 
with  the  prairie-dogs,  and  may,  for  all  we  know,  pay  for  their  lodgings 
by  bringing  in  grain  and  seeds,  along  with  the  worms  and  insects 
which  they  reserve  for  their  own  table.  Any  one  who  does  not  pos 
sess  a  habitation  of  his  own,  must  occasionally  expect  to  be  thrown 
among  strange  companions,  and  this  very  often  happens  to  the  bur- 
rowing-owl.  Travellers  tell  us  that  not  only  do  the  prairie-dogs  and 
owls  live  together  in  these  burrows,  but  that  great  rattlesnakes  some 
times  take  up  their  residence  therein — all  three  families  seeming  to 
live  together  in  peace  and  unity.  I  think  that  it  is  probable,  however, 
that  the  little  dogs  and  owls  are  not  at  all  pleased  with  the  company 
of  the  snakes.  A  prairie-dog  will  not  eat  an  owl,  and  without  the  dog 
is  very  young  indeed,  an  owl  will  not  eat  him ;  but  a  great  snake  would 


35» 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


just  as  soon  swallow  either  of  them  as  not,  if  he  happened  to  be 
hungry,  which  fortunately  is  not  often  the  case,  for  a  good  meal  lasts 

a  snake  a  long  time. 
But  the  owls  and  the 
prairie-dogs  have  no 
way  of  ridding  them 
selves  of  their  un 
welcome  room 
mates,  and,  like  hu 
man  beings,  they  are 
obliged  to  patiently 
endure  the  ills  they 
cannot  banish.  Per 
haps,  like  human  be 
ings  again,  they 
become  so  accus 
tomed  to  these  ills 
that  they  forget  how 
disagreeable  they 
are. 

There  is  a  bird, — 
and  it  is  a  Flamin 
go  —  which  builds 
a  nest  which  looks 
to  me  as  if  it  must 
be  very  unpleasant 
to  sit  upon.  And 
yet  it  suits  the  bird 
very  well.  In  fact, 
on  any  other  kind 


360  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 

of    a   nest,    the   flamingo   might   not   know   what   to   do    with    its 
legs. 

It  would  appear  as  if  there  had  been  a  waste  of  material  in  making 
such  a  large  high  nest,  when  only  two  or  three  moderate-sized  eggs 
are  placed  in  the  slight  depression  at  the  top ;  but,  when  we  consider 
that  the  flamingo  uses  this  tall  affair  as  a  seat,  as  well  as  a  nest,  we 
can  easily  understand  that  flamingoes,  like  most  other  birds,  under 
stand  how  to  adapt  their  nests  to  their  own  convenience  and  peculi 
arities.  Sitting  astraddle  on  one  of  these  tall  nests,  which  look  some 
thing  like  peach-baskets  turned  upside  down,  with  her  head  stuck  as 
far  under  her  wing  as  she  can  get  it,  the  flamingo  dozes  away,  during 
the  long  sultry  hours  of  day,  as  comfortably  and  happily  as  if  she  was 
a  little  wren  snugly  curled  up  inside  of  its  cosey  nest.  It  is  not  mere 
situation  which  makes  us  happy.  Some  people  enjoy  life  in  cottages, 
others  in  palaces,  and  some  birds  sit  in  a  pile  of  hard  sticks  and  think 
themselves  quite  as  cosey  as  those  which  repose  upon  the  softest 
down. 

It  is  almost  impossible  to  comprehend  the  different  fancies  of  birds 
in  regard  to  their  nests.  For  instance,  why  should  any  bird  want  to 
sail  about  in  its  nest  ?  Yet  there  is  one — called  the  Little  Grebe— 
which  builds  a  water-tight  nest,  in  which  she  lays  her  eggs,  and, 
while  she  is  hatching  them,  she  paddles  herself  around  on  the  water. 

It  seems  to  me  that  these  birds  must  have  a  very  pleasant  time 
during  the  setting  season.  To  start  out  some  fine  morning,  after  it 
has  had  its  breakfast  of  bugs  and  things,  to  gently  push  its  nest  from 
shore  ;  to  jump  on  board  ;  to  sit  down  comfortably  on  the  eggs,  and, 
sticking  out  its  web-footed  legs  on  each  side,  to  paddle  away  among 
the  water-lilies  and  the  beautiful  green  rushes,  in  company  with  other 
little  grebes,  all  uniting  business  and  pleasure  in  the  same  way,  must 
be,  indeed,  quite  charming  to  an  appreciative  duck. 


\ 


362 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


If  it  were  to  happen  to  storm,  however,  when  the  grebe  was  at  a 
distance  from  shore,  her  little  craft  might  be  upset  and  her  cargo  of 
eggs  go  to  the  bottom.  But  I  expect  the  grebes  are  very  good 
sailors,  and  know  when  to  look  for  bad  weather. 

A  nest  full  of  young  grebes  just  hatched,  -with  the  mother  swim 
ming  behind,  pushing  them  along  with  her  beak,  or  towing  them  by 


the  loose  end  of  a  twig,  must  be  a  very  singular  and  interesting 
sight 


NEST-BUILDERS.  363 


An  Ostrich  has  very  different  views  in  regard  to  a  nest  from  a  little 
grebe.  Instead  of  wishing  to  take  its  nest  about  with  it,  wherever.it 
goes,  the  ostrich  does  not  care  for  a  great  deal  of  nest-work. 

It  is,  however,  a  bird  of  more  domestic  habits  than  some  writers 
would  have  us  believe  ;  for  although  it  does  cover  up  its  eggs  in  the 
sand,  and  then  let  the  sun  help  hatch  them,  it  is  not  altogether  inat 
tentive  to  its  nest.  The  ostrich  makes  a  large  nest  in  the  sand,  where, 
it  is  said,  the  eggs  of  several  families  are  deposited.  These  eggs  are 
very  carefully  arranged  in  the  great  hole  or  basin  that  has  been  formed 
in  the  soft  sand,  and,  during  the  daytime,  they  are  often  covered  up 
and  left  to  be  gently  heated  by  the  rays  of  the  sun.  But  the  ostrich 
sits  upon  her  nest  at  night,  and  in  many  cases  the  male  bird  has 
been  known  to  sit  upon  the  eggs  all  day.  An  ostrich  nest  is  a  sort 
of  a  wholesale  establishment.  There  are  not  only  a  great  many  eggs 
in  the  nest,  but  dozens  of  them  are  often  found  lying  about  on  the 
sand  around  it. 

This  apparent  waste  is  explained  by  some  naturalists  by  the  state 
ment  that  these  scattered  eggs  are  intended  for  the  food  of  the  young 
ones  when  they  are  hatched.  This  may  be  true ;  but  in  that  case 
young  ostriches  cannot  be  very  particular  about  the  flavor  of  the 
eggs  they  eat.  A  few  days  in  the  hot  sun  of  the  desert  would  be  very 
likely  to  make  eggs  of  any  kind  taste  rather  strongly.  But  ostrich 
eggs  are  so  large,  and  their  shells  are  so  thick,  that  they  may  keep 
better  than  the  eggs  to  which  we  are  accustomed. 

From  nests  which  are  built  flat  on  the  ground,  let  us  now  go  to 
some  that  are  placed  as  high  from  the  earth  as  their  builders  can  get 
them.  The  nests  of  the  Storks  are  of  this  kind. 

A  pair  of  storks  will  select,  as  a  site  for  their  nest,  a  lofty  place 
among  the  rocks ;  the  top  of  some  old  ruins  ;  or,  when  domesticated, 
.as  they  often  are,  the  top  of  a  chimney.  But  when  there  are  a 


THE   NEST  OF  A   STORK. 


NEST-BUILDERS.  365 


number  of  storks  living  together  in  a  community,  they  very  often 
settle  in  a  grove  of  tall  trees  and  build  their  nests  on  the  highest 
branches. 

In  these  they  lay  their  eggs,  and  hatch  out  their  young  ones. 
Soon  after  the  time  when  these  young  storks  are  able  to  fly,  the  whole 
community  generally  starts  off  on  its  winter  pilgrimage  to  warm  coun 
tries  ;  but  the  old  storks  always  return  in  the  .spring  to  the  same 
nest  that  they  left,  while  the  young  ones,  if  they  choose  to  join  that 
community  at  all,  must  make  nests  for  >  themselves.  Although  these 
nests  are  nothing  but  rude  structures  of  sticks  and  twigs,  made  ap 
parently  in  the  roughest  manner,  each  pair  of  storks  evidently  thinks 
that  there  is  no  home  like  its  own. 

The  stork  is  a  very  kind  parent,  and  is,  in  fact,  more  careful  of  the 
welfare  of  its  young  than  most  birds ;  but  it  never  goes  to  the  length 
of  surrendering  its  homestead  to  its  children. 

The  young  storks  will  be  carefully  nurtured  and  reared  by  their 
parents  ;  when  they  grow  old  enough  they  will  be  taught  to  fly,  and 
encouraged  in  the  most  earnest  way  to  strengthen  and  develop  their 
wings  by  exercise ;  and,  in  the  annual  expedition  to  the  south,  they 
are  not  left  to  themselves,  but  are  conducted  to  the  happy  lands 
where  all  good  storks  spend  their  winters.  But  the  young  storks 
cannot  have  everything.  If  they  wish  to  live  in  the  nest  in  which 
they  were  born,  they  must  wait  until  their  parents  are  dead.* 

It  may  be  that  we  have  now  seen  enough  of  birds'  nests,  and  so  I 
will  not  show  you  any  more. 

The  next  nest  which  we  will  examine — 

"  But  I  thought  you  were  not  going  to  show  us  any  more  birds' 
nests  ! "  you  will  say. 

That  is  true.  I  did  say  so,  and  this  next  one  is  not  a  bird's  nest 
but  a  fish's  nest. 


366 


RAMBLES. 


It  is  probably  that  very  few  of  you,  if  any,  ever  saw  a  fish's  nest ; 
but  there  certainly  are  such  things. 

The  fish  which  builds  them  is  called  the  Stickleback.  It  is  a  little 
fish,  but  it  knows  how  to  make  a  good  nest.  The  male  stickleback 
is  the  builder,  and  when  he  thinks  of  making  a  nest  he  commences 
by  burrowing  a  hole  in  the  mud  at  the  bottom  of  the  stream  where 
he  lives.  When  with  his  nose  and  body  he  has  made  this  hole  large 
enough,  he  collects  bits  of  grass,  roots,  and  weeds,  and  builds  his 


nest  over  this  hole,  which  seems  to  be  dug  for  the  purpose  of  giving 
security  to  the  structure.  The  grass  and  other  materials  are  fastened 
to  the  mud  and  earth  by  means  of  a  sticky  substance,  which  exudes 
from  the  body  of  the  fish,  and  every  part  of  the  nest  is  stuck  together 


NEST-B  UILDERS.  367 


and  interlaced  so  that  it  will  not  be  disturbed  by  the  currents.  There 
are  generally  two  openings  to  this  nest,  which  is  something  like  a 
lady's  muff,  although,  of  course,  it  is  by  no  means  so  smooth  and  reg 
ular.  The  fish  can  generally  stick  its  head  out  of  one  end,  and  its 
tail  out  of  the  other. 

When  the  eggs  have  been  laid  in  the  nest,  and  the  young  stickle 
backs  have  been  born,  the  male  fish  is  said  to  be  very  strict  and  par 
ticular  in  the  government  of  his  children.  For  some  time — while 
they  are  yet  very  small — (and  the  father  himself  is  a  very  little  fellow) 
he  makes  them  stay  in  the  nest,  and  if  any  of  them  come  swimming 
out,  he  drives  them  back  again,  and  forces  them  to  stay  at  home  until 
they  are  of  a  proper  age  to  swim  about  by  themselves. 

We  have  now  seen  quite  a  variety  of  nests,  and  I  think  that  we  may 
come  to  this  conclusion  about  their  builders : — The  bird  or  other  crea 
ture  which  can  carefully  select  the  materials  for  the  home  of  its  young, 
can  decide  what  is  most  suitable  for  the  rough  outside  and  what  will 
be  soft  and  nice  for  the  inner  lining,  and  can  choose  a  position  for 
its  nest  where  the  peculiar  wants  and  habits  of  its  little  ones  can  be 
best  provided  for,  must  certainly  be  credited  with  a  degree  of  intelli 
gence  which  is  something  more  than  what  is  generally  suggested 
by  the  term  instinct. 


368  ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


THE  BOOMERANG. 

CIVILIZED  folks  are  superior  in  so  very  many  respects  to  their  bar 
barous  brethren  that  it  is  well,  when  we  discover  anything  which  a 
savage  can  do  better  than  we  can,  to  make  a  note  of  it,  and  give  the 
subject  some  attention. 

And  it  is  certain  that  there  are  savages  who  can  surpass  us  in  one 
particular — they  can  make  and  throw  boomerangs. 

It  is  very  possible  that  an  American  mechanic  could  imitate  an  Aus 
tralian  boomerang,  so  that  few  persons  could  tell  the  difference ;  but 
I  do  not  believe  that  boomerang  would  work  properly.  Either  in  the 
quality  of  the  wood,  or  in  the  seasoning,  or  in  some  particular  which 
we  would  not  be  apt  to  notice,  it  would,  in  all  probability,  differ  very 
much  from  the  weapon  carved  out  by  the  savage.  If  the  American 
mechanic  was  to  throw  his  boomerang  away  from  him,  I  think  it 
would  stay  away.  There  is  no  reason  to  believe  that  it  would  ever 
come  back. 

And  yet  there  is  nothing  at  all  wonderful  in  the  appearance  of  the 
real  boomerang.  It  is  simply  a  bent  club,  about  two  feet  long, 


THE  BOOMERANG.  369 


smooth  on  one  side  and  slightly  hollowed  out  on  the  other.  No  one 
would  imagine,  merely  from  looking  at  it,  that  it  could  behave  in 
any  way  differently  from  any  other  piece  of  stick  of  its  size  and 
weight. 

But  it  does  behave  differently,  at  least  when  an  Australian  savage 
throws  it.  I  have  never  heard  of  an  American  or  European  who 
was  able  to  make  the  boomerang  perform  the  tricks  for  which  it  has 
become  famous.  Throwing  this  weapon  is  like  piano-playing ;  you 
have  to  be  brought  up  to  it  in  order  to  do  it  well. 

In  the  hands  of  the  natives  of  Australia,  however,  the  boomerang 
performs  most  wonderful  feats.  Sometimes  the  savage  takes  hold  of 
it  by  one  end,  and  gives  it  a  sort  of  careless  jerk,  so  that  it  falls  on 
the  ground  at  a  short  distance  from  him.  As  soon  as  it  strikes  the 
earth  it  bounds  up  into  the  air,  turns,  twists,  and  pitches  about  in 
every  direction,  knocking  with  great  force  against  everything  in  its 
way.  It  is  said  that  when  it  bounds  in  this  way  into  the  midst  of  a 
flock  of  birds,  it  kills  and  wounds  great  numbers  of  them.  At  other 


times  the  boomerang-thrower  will  hurl  his  weapon  at  an  object  at  a 
great  distance,  and  when  it  has  struck  the  mark  it  will  turn  and  fall 
at  the  feet  of  its  owner,  turning  and  twisting  on  its  swift  and  crooked 
way.  This  little  engraving  shows  how  the  boomerang  will  go  around 

24 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES. 


a  tree  and  return  again  to  the  thrower.  The  twisted  line  indicates 
its  course. 

Most  astonishing  stories  are  told  of  the  skill  with  which  the  Aus 
tralians  use  this  weapon.  They  will  aim  at  birds  or  small  animals 
that  are  hidden  behind  trees  and  rocks,  and  the  boomerang  will  go 
around  the  trees  and  rocks  and  kill  the  game.  They  are  the  only  people 
who  can  with  any  certainty  shoot  around  a  corner.  Not  only  do  they 
throw  the  boomerang  with  unerring  accuracy,  but  with  tremendous 
force,  and  when  it  hits  a  man  on  the  head,  giving  him  two  or  three 
terrible  raps  as  it  twists  about  him,  it  is  very  apt  to  kill  him.  To 
ward  off  these  dangerous  blows,  the  natives  generally  carry  shields 
when  they  go  out  to  fight.  Sometimes  an  Australian  throws  two 
boomerangs  at  once,  one  with  his  right  hand  and  one  with  his  left, 
and  then  the  unfortunate  man  that  he  aims  at  has  a  hard  time  of  it. 

Many  persons  have  endea-vored  to  explain  the  peculiar  turning  and 
twisting  properties  of  the  boomerang,  but  they  have  not  been  entirely 
successful,  for  so  much  depends  not  only  on  the  form  of  the  weapon, 
but  on  the  skill  of  the  thrower.  But  it  is  known  that  the  form  of  the 
boomerang,  and  the  fact  that  one  of  its  limbs  is  longer  and  heavier 
than  the  other,  gives  its  centre  of  gravity  a  very  peculiar  situation  ; 
and  when  the  weapon  is  thrown  by  one  end,  it  has  naturally  a  ten 
dency  to  rotate,  and  the  manner  of  this  rotation  is  determined  by  the 
peculiar  impetus  given  it  by  the  hand  of  the  man  who  throws  it. 

It  is  well  that  we  are  able  to  explain  the  boomerang  a  little,  for 
that  is  all  we  can  do  with  it.  The  savage  cannot  explain  it  at  all  ;  but 
he  can  use  it. 

But,  after  all,  I  do  not  know  that  a  boomerang  would  be  of  much 
service  to  us  even  if  we  could  use  it.  There  is  only  one  thing  that  I 
can  now  think  of  that  it  would  be  good  for.  It  would  be  a  splendid 
thing  to  knock  down  chestnuts  with  ! 


THE  BOOMERANG.  371 


Just  think  of  a  boomerang  going  twirling  into  a  chestnut-tree, 
twisting,  turning,  banging,  and  cracking  on  every  side,  knocking  down 
the  chestnuts  in  a  perfect  shower,  and  then  coming  gently  back  into 
your  hand,  all  ready  for  another  throw  ! 

It  would  be  well  worth  while  to  go  out  chestnuting,  if  we  had  a 
boomerang  to  do  the  work  for  us. 


Now  our  Ramblings  must  come  to  an  end.  We  cannot  walk  about 
the  world  for  ever,  you  know,  no  matter  how  pleasant  it  may  be. 

And  I  wish  I  was  quite  sure  that  you  have  all  found  these  wander 
ings  pleasant. 

As  for  me,  there  were  some  things  that  I  did  not  like  so  well  as 
others,  and  I  suppose  that  that  was  the  case  with  all  of  you. 

But  it  could  not  be  helped.  In  this  world  some  things  will  be 
better  than  others,  do  what  we  may. 

One  of  these  days,  perhaps,  we  may  ramble  about  again.  Until 
then,  good-by  ! 


THE    END. 


.U.C  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


A  A      000275017   2 


